Former Penn State wrestling star inks new deal with Nike

Ex-Penn State wrestling great Aaron Brooks continues to make headlines as his Olympic debut approaches. Announced Tuesday, the four-time National Champion for the Nittany Lions has agreed to a new deal with Nike. The sponsorship comes a little more than a week before Brooks will step onto the mat for the first time at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.

A new website for Aaron Brooks also launched on Tuesday, allowing fans to purchase Nike apparel with a custom “AB” logo for the former Nittany Lion. Much of the gear comes in navy blue and white, making it an easy matching combination for the apparel that Penn State wrestling fans already own.

Congrats to Olympian @__ABALLDAY on Signing a Deal With Nike! Can pick up some AB Nike apparel here: https://t.co/CPA6EWZTJY pic.twitter.com/9uAl765I2y

— Justin Basch (@JustinJBasch) July 30, 2024

Aaron Brooks is the second Nittany Lion announced in the past year to sign with Nike. David Taylor signed an exclusive deal with the brand shortly before April’s U.S. Olympic Team Trials in State College.

With Brooks defeating Taylor and the 2020 Gold Medalist taking the head coaching job at Oklahoma State, the move seems like a sensible branding decision for the sportswear giant.

Penn State wrestling star going for Gold Paris

© Andy Mason/Herald-Mail / USA TODAY NETWORK

Aaron Brooks will make his debut at the 2024 Summer Olympics on Thursday, August 8.

The ex-Nittany Lion wrestler is already one of the favorites to bring home a Gold Medal for Team USA. Brooks has the second-highest odds of winning the 86 kg bracket, behind only Hassan Yazdani of Iran.

Brooks’ odds of making the final will be incredibly high. Yazdani comes in at -170 to win the Gold, while Brooks sits at +125, according to DraftKings Sportsbook. The next closest wrestler is Azamat Dauletbekov of Kazakhstan, who is given a +1,400 chance to finish at the top of the podium.

After finishing his college career as a four-time individual National Champion, three-time team NCAA Champion, and Hodge Trophy winner, Aaron Brooks will now have an opportunity to establish himself as the next great American wrestler in Paris.

If he can reach the finals and defeat Yazdani, Brooks may reach a status similar to that of David Taylor over the last four years: the best pound-for-pound freestyle wrestler in the world.

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