It’s one thing for a NCAA athlete to secure a NIL (i.e. endorsement) deal with a major U.S. brand, but it’s a whole other level for a NCAA athlete to land a signature shoe deal.
Welcome to the world of Darius Acuff Jr., the 6-foot-3 Arkansas freshman guard from IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) via Detroit. According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, Acuff has landed a signature shoe with Reebok, becoming the first men’s athlete to land one from a major shoe brand while still in college.
Acuff 1 on the way. pic.twitter.com/oNvr5k5mY5
— Reebok (@Reebok) March 24, 2026
No, don’t look for Acuff’s signature shoe on Thursday during the Sweet 16 when Arkansas plays favored Arizona in San Jose, Calif. (CBS 9:45 pm ET), but look for it as he enters the NBA in the fall. Acuff signed with Reebok in May 2025 as he was wrapping up a honors filled high school career.
He was named second five on the 2025 All-American Elite Team after leading the EYBL Scholastic League in scoring with a 23.7 ppg and earned league player of the year honors, following in the footsteps of 2024 EYBLS POY Cooper Flagg of Montverde Academy (Fla.). Acuff had a team-high 24 points for Team USA in the 2025 Nike Hoop Summit and was also selected a McDonald’s All-American.
Acuff has exceeded expectations at Arkansas, and some are calling him the most polished college guard ever to play for coach John Calipari, a list that includes Derrick Rose and John Wall, both who were No. 1 picks in the NBA Draft as freshman guards.
Acuff is expected to be a Top 5 NBA Draft choice after entering college as a consensus Top 15 national prospect. Acuff was named 2026 SEC Player of the Year and a A.P. First Team All-American, only the second in Arkansas history, joining 1979 choice Sidney Moncrief.
Reebok is hoping Acuff develops into the company’s best men’s basketball endorser since Allen Iverson in the late 1990s and 2000s. The shoe company is hoping to bank on Acuff’s urban appeal and status as a street-wise guard, a basketball prototype that American basketball fans generally find appealing on a mass level. Iverson recently endorsed Acuff as “the next HIM.”
Reebok has made some major inroads on the women’s side with WNBA star Angel Reese and are hoping Acuff has similar or even greater appeal.
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