Nike presents new cleats to Aquinas, Miami Central ahead of state title games

Sometimes it’s pretty sweet to be football royalty.

St. Thomas Aquinas and Miami Central, two South Florida high school football powers with 12 state championships between them, know the feeling.

Nike representatives showed up to practice this week at both schools in a customized white and gold Lamborghini and presented players and coaches with its new Vapor Untouchable II cleats that the two teams will be wearing during this weekend’s state championship games at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando.

“This thing is hard, man,” said Aquinas receiver Sam Bruce, a University of Miami commitment, before he kissed the bottom of the gold-plated shoes. “I’ve never had a pair like these. We’re going to get it done and we’re going to look good doing it.”

The new cleats, which Nike calls its lightest and strongest built for explosive propulsion, speed and traction, will not be available to the public until January.

But the Raiders (13-1), who play Viera (10-4) in the Class 7A state championship game Friday night, and the Rockets (11-2), who face Seffner Armwood (14-0) in Saturday afternoon’s Class 6A state championship game, will be among the first high school teams nationwide to wear the new Nike cleats.

All four College Football Playoff teams, including No. 1-ranked Clemson and No. 4 Oklahoma, who meet in this year’s Capital One Orange Bowl, will later wear the cleats in their respective school colors on New Year’s Eve.

The University of Oregon will then debut its new Vapor Untouchable Uniforms when it takes on TCU in the Jan. 2 Alamo Bowl in San Antonio. NFL players will then wear those uniforms and cleats in the 2016 Pro Bowl.

This story was originally published December 10, 2015 at 12:17 AM with the headline "Nike presents new cleats to Aquinas, Miami Central ahead of state title games."