Travis Hunter signing with Adidas felt like Superman changing his cape. One minute, the Colorado two-way star was rocking Nike with pride—borrowing kicks from Coach Prime’s endless sneaker stash, embodying the brand that had been synonymous with Deion Sanders for a long time. And in December last year, the Heisman winner stunned everyone by signing a multi-year deal with Adidas, officially trading in the Swoosh for the Three Stripes.
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For someone whose college program and coach were all Nike, this decision was as unexpected as it could get. But Hunter claims this move had nothing to do with money. It was a move that benefitted his family the most, thanks to Adidas involving Travis’ younger brother, Trayvis Hunter—a high school sophomore with a stake in the partnership.
Simply put, the German footwear giants understood how much Hunter values his family, helping them capitalize on it. And if there’s one person who truly understood Hunter’s decision, it was his C1N mentor, Cam Newton. In the latest episode of 4th & 1, the former MVP, who once chose Under Armour over Nike, broke it all down.
“You got to identify what’s important and what is the real ask from the athlete,” Newton said. “See, Travis knows money’s coming, yeah—you dig what I’m saying? But he also knows his responsibility to the people who are depending on him—his family.”
Beyond the traditional cash deal, Hunter’s contract also included an apparel allotment—a structured budget to ensure he and his brother were always laced up in the latest Adidas gear. Cam believed that this was a piece of information that many needed to know before making their judgment on Adidas’ approach to high school sophomores.
“Now, the breakdown of this contract—Travis may not get hand-to-hand transactional money. It may come by way of hand-to-hand transactional gear, apparel—which they call in apparel brands an allotment,” Newton explained.
For those out of the loop, Newton had once famously turned down Nike and Jordan to sign with Under Armour when he entered the league. Explaining the reason behind it, Newton said,
“I wanted to go somewhere where I wanted to be the guy—not just a guy. Nike has all the resources, but I believed in what Under Armour was building.”
For Cam, it was more than money—it was about legacy. He saw Under Armour’s vision and chose to bet on himself. And now, Newton sees the same mindset in Hunter. “I can go buy my own Jordans. Y’all giving me some type of money that ain’t nobody trying to match,” Newton added.
Travis Hunter is now gearing up for an exciting first season in the NFL, not only as an Adidas athlete but also as someone who made a strategic and long-term decision. With all eyes on him, Hunter will be keen to show that this decision wasn’t just a gamble but also a smart move.
