Riley recently met A&M coach Kevin Sumlin on an Adidas-sponsored spring trip to Costa Rica. Riley and Sumlin hit it off. Riley said he liked talking to Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen, too; Mullen worked closely with NU Athletic Director Shawn Eichorst on the Football Oversight Committee that helped draft the NCAA’s massive recruiting reform efforts.
Other camp possibilities include one at Texas-San Antonio, one at Miami (Florida) or Florida Atlantic, where Lane Kiffin is head coach, and one in Georgia at Kennesaw State, an FCS program 30 minutes north of downtown Atlanta. Riley said schools are “exploring” options in southern California, where UCLA recently switched from Adidas to Under Armour.
Adidas has lost some major college contracts in recent years — UCLA, Michigan, Notre Dame and Tennessee among them — but the smaller roster has further solidified NU as one of Adidas’ top clients. Nebraska has been with Adidas since 1995 and signed its most recent five-year, $15.53 million deal in 2013. That deal allows Adidas to have renewal negotiating rights starting 90 days before the fifth contract year.