Troy athletic director John Hartwell told The Messenger on Monday at Sun Belt Conference Media Day that the university and its uniform and apparel partner, Adidas, are close to reaching a deal that would extent the contract between the two.

While major details of the deal were scarce, Hartwell did say that the deal would likely run between 3-5 years.

“I think they really came back with a solid deal, one that was hard to turn down,” Hartwell said. “This deal will help us in many different ways.”

While there has been no confirmation by the university, Under Armour and Nike were in the running as potential new suitors for Troy.

The deal with Adidas expired on June 30 but Hartwell said there is no set timetable to get the new agreement signed.

“The terms are finalized but not all the signatures have been put on the deal yet,” Hartwell said.

Hartwell said the success of the baseball team, which finished ranked in the Top 25, helped in closing the more lucrative deal.

“Anytime you finish ranked high, people take notice,” he said. “Adidas is kind of a new player in baseball equipment and we’re still navigating through that.”

Hartwell said that there is more to the deal than the on-the-field equipment.

“Another component to that is apparel distribution. The retail side of Adidas is going to provide us with products in a timely manner so that our fans can wear what the coaches have on on the sideline,” he said. “It’s a regional retail distribution but obviously it has to start at home, here at the university bookstore.”

Hartwell said that the national exposure from Troy’s four weekday game will also shine a spotlight on the partnership with Adidas.

“Those are great television opportunities for both us and them,” he said. “I think people will be excited about some of the things we’re putting together.”

Hartwell even hinted at the possibility of a unique Halloween uniform to be worn in Troy’s game against Louisiana-Monroe on Oct. 31.