Utah’s long-running Under Armour apparel deal ends after 2026-27 season

The University of Utah will end its apparel partnership with Under Armour after the current agreement expires following the 2026-27 athletic season, according to reporting that points to a change in on-field branding starting with the 2027 football season. For more than a generation of Utes football, Under Armour has been woven into the look of the program, from game day uniforms to broader athletics outfitting across the department.

Utah’s football program began wearing Under Armour in 2008, and the relationship expanded into a school-wide athletics deal ahead of the 2011-12 season. That timeline means the brand’s presence has stretched across multiple eras of the program, including years that followed Utah’s rise on the national stage and subsequent conference transitions.

The current contract structure appears to have been built on a later extension. Sports Business Journal reported that the parties agreed to a 10-year, $65 million extension in 2016 that runs through June 2027. Taken together with the new branding timeline, that suggests Utah will complete one final athletic cycle under the Under Armour branding before switching its uniform identity ahead of the 2027 football season.

Statements included in the coverage indicate that both sides view the ending as a planned conclusion rather than a breakup driven by an immediate dispute. Under Armour, in a quote carried by Deseret News, said it remains committed to collegiate student-athletes and is proud of the support and resources it provided to Utah’s student-athletes, coaches, and fans while the relationship runs out. Utah Athletics, also quoted through Deseret News and Sports Business Journal, expressed gratitude for what it described as nearly two decades of partnership benefits, including growth during major program moves across conferences.

While uniform logos may look like a cosmetic change to some fans, apparel contracts in college athletics often serve as a consistent revenue and branding engine. They can affect how teams present themselves to recruits, supporters, and broadcast audiences, and they can tie into equipment and outfitting arrangements that are felt well beyond football Saturdays. For Utah, leaving Under Armour also puts it in a narrower group of major programs still tied to the company, after several other schools moved to different brands in recent years.

The next question for Utah is straightforward but unanswered in the reporting: which apparel partner will replace Under Armour once the current deal expires. The available coverage indicates no new provider has been publicly named yet. Fans will be watching for early hints from recruiting materials, spring practice branding, and athletics department announcements that typically accompany a deal transition.

For Under Armour, the Utah exit is part of a larger pattern of change across college sports apparel landscapes. Even with the partnership ending, the relationship’s longevity suggests the Utes were among the company’s more stable college accounts in the modern era. Over the coming months, attention will likely shift to whether Utah’s final Under Armour season comes with a redesigned commemorative approach, and how quickly the Utes can establish a new visual identity for 2027 football.