Nike's grip on the entire sports world might be loosening after the news that Adidas dropped on Monday.
We may be watching a complete culture shift with the current state of brands in the NFL.
Nike has had a stranglehold on the top spot in the entire sports industry for the better part of the last 20 years. Their splash onto the scene was signing Michael Jordan way back when, but it was solidified by backing up the Brinks Truck for 18-year-old LeBron James.
On the football side of things, they have become the main jersey sponsor in the league, and they sponsor some of the top athletes in the league.
Those days with them at the top might be changing, as on Monday, Adidas announced its rookie class, and it is Buckeye-heavy.
Joining the future first overall pick, Fernando Mendoza, are three of the Ohio State first-rounders: Arvelle Reese, Caleb Downs, and Carnell Tate.
Not to mention, Jeremiah Smith is already an Adidas athlete.
Along with those four players, Adidas locked down 14 of the top-35 to 40 picks in this year's draft.
This may be Adidas saying that they opened their checkbooks and went after the best talent in this upcoming draft, who are all going to be future stars in this league. Or, it could point to something larger.
The real story here, however, is that to make a major shift like this, a brand needs to go after Buckeyes. Plain and simple.
Ohio State has historically been a Nike school, so they get the first crack at those athletes to sign them to apparel deals. If Adidas is trying to become the premier equipment and clothing provider in football, they first have to steal and flip as many Buckeyes as they possibly can.
With this bunch, they likely got two of the top-four defenders in this entire draft and one of the top-three wide receivers that is available. Wherever these guys go, they are going to take the largest fanbase in college football to whatever their new city is, and they will all be repping the three stripes.
A very fascinating, and in my opinion, savvy business move by Adidas. They knew they needed to take a big swing at some point, and they did it with this group of up-and-coming stars.
Smart by them to do so by targeting the best that the Buckeyes have to offer.
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