AUBURN — Auburn has been partnered with Under Armour as its apparel provider since 2006, but the agreement between the two sides is set to expire after June 2025. The university entered a negotiating period Sept. 1 that allows it to have communication with other potential providers.

Will the Tigers move on and agree to terms with Nike or another more prominent brand? That's for athletics director John Cohen to decide, and he spoke to The Next Round on Tuesday to give the latest update.

"We feel like we're in a very, very positive place right now," Cohen said. "I think our fanbase (and) everyone connected with Auburn is going to be very pleased with where we are. Just not ready to release because not all the i's are dotted and the t's are crossed. ... We're excited about where we are and excited the future in that area. We feel like, again, our student-athletes all the way to our fans and alumni are really going to enjoy it."

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Cohen told the Montgomery Advertiser in October that the university was "not in a sprint right now" to make any decisions regarding its apparel partner: "We'll do our due diligence, and we'll be ready to have conversations about the future of Auburn and our apparel partner," he said. "... We'll see where it takes us in the future."

Some fans believe partnering with a more popular brand will assist Auburn in its recruiting efforts across different sports. Others have pointed to the quality of the products the athletes must wear depending on who the university is partnered with. Cohen touched on the latter Tuesday.

"We got a lot of input from student-athletes, we got a lot of input from fans, we got a lot of input from our coaches and staff members," Cohen added Tuesday. "Everyone across all the stakeholders of Auburn University. We listened. ... At age 57, you realize that listening is a very valuable tool."

Richard Silva is the Auburn athletics beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached via email at rsilva@gannett.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @rich_silva18.

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Auburn apparel partner: John Cohen updates status of negotiations