Chris Del Conte, Steve Sarkisian Debunk Texas Uniform Concern Amid New Partnership

Details of collaboration

Sarkisian stated confidently and bluntly that there is “not a chance” that Humann’s logo will make its way onto jerseys of Longhorn athletes. He believes that jerseys are to be “sacred ground,” and that the invasion of a logo would interfere with this sacredness. 

“Not a chance,” Sarkisian said. “That to me, and I want everyone to hear, that’s sacred ground.”

Texas, Del Conte said, has Nike and is not looking to add another logo to their jerseys, but the Longhorns aren’t looking to extend this level of advertising Humann on their players’ uniforms. 

“That question’s been asked,” Del Conte said. “I’ve seen it in the NBA, I’ve seen it in the WNBA, I’ve seen it in soccer. That was never a discussion with me. We at the University of Texas have our partner in Nike. We never went down that path. It was strictly, how do we tell this particular story? I think you saw people unlocking logos on fields, and that became this new wave of ‘oh we’ve got to do that.'”

Motive behind partnership

Del Conte finds it important that fans know that this affiliation has been created independent of financial purposes. The Longhorns weren’t actively looking to establish an on-field sponsorship, but they found that Humann’s origin and purpose made the company worth entering a partnership with.

Nobel Laureate Dr. Ferid Murad led a research program at Texas that resulted in the founding of Humann in 2009, making the company’s relationship with the university a tight-knit one. Humann has benefitted athletes at Texas specifically since its founding, and Del Conte finds their mission and the results they have achieved worth celebrating. 

He also noted that the university did not need this deal to offset the impact of NIL and revenue share, which could be why some other programs have launched new partnerships with corporate brands.  

This partnership helps usher Texas Athletics into a newer era, and they are doing so with a company that both originated at Texas and helps students within the university. DKR might have a different look to it this year, but Del Conte and company appear to be comfortable embracing it.