The San Diego State Aztecs are officially part of the Jordan Brand roster.
The move was announced Sunday at the team's postseason banquet, reports the San Diego Union-Tribune. The transition from Nike to Jordan puts the Aztecs among elite company including Florida, Georgetown, Marquette, Michigan, North Carolina, Oklahoma and the brand's other recent signee, Houston.
Unlike some of Jordan Brand's agreements with other colleges, the San Diego State deal focuses solely on men's basketball and will not have an affect on its other programs. Furthermore, the Jordan deal reportedly does not involve any extra money, but it will outfit the Aztecs with apparel and sneakers.
San Diego State is the only Jordan-endorsed team without a Final Four appearance, and it will also become the first team on the west coast to don the Jumpman beginning with the 2018-19 season.
Assistant athletic director Matt Soria says Aztecs alum Kawhi Leonard factored into Jordan Brand's final decision. "It wasn’t the only reason they thought it was a good fit but it was part of the reason. Kawhi being a Jordan Brand athlete and the ability to market him with us helped this along," Soria said.
Meanwhile, coach Brian Dutcher anticipates that the prestige of the Jumpman will help boost recruiting efforts. "It’s the exclusivity of it, just to be a little different than everybody else," Dutcher told the Tribune. "To have something that other schools in the conference don’t have access to, it kind of ups our brand and can help recruiting."
