Under Armour has signed UCLA to what is believed to be the biggest shoe and apparel deal in NCAA history, a 15-year, $280 million contract announced Tuesday.

The new arms race in college sports — schools battling for massive sponsorships — has exploded in recent months as Michigan, Texas and Ohio State have signed lucrative agreements with Nike. UCLA entered the picture with its Adidas contract set to expire next year.

“We knew that we were well-positioned to cut a deal,” said Dan Guerrero, UCLA athletic director. “Under Armour came at us hard.”

The upstart Baltimore athletic apparel company was looking to add a major West Coast program to a stable that includes Notre Dame, Auburn and Wisconsin.

“This deal was about geography,” said Kevin Plank, Under Armour's founder and CEO. “It was important for us to plant our flag in L.A.”

UCLA will receive $15 million in cash up front, according a person with knowledge of the agreement who was not authorized to speak publicly. The school then will be paid about $11 million annually in rights and marketing fees.

Under Armour has agreed to supply about $7.4 million worth of clothing, shoes and equipment each school year and contribute an additional $2 million over the next eight years for upgrades at UCLA athletic facilities.

“When you've got big players with deep pockets and a willingness to spend, the ante keeps getting raised,” said George Belch, a marketing professor at San Diego State University, speaking in general about sponsorship trends. “Nike has dominated the market for many years. … Now Under Armour clearly has become a major player.”

Though shoes and uniforms account for less than half of the company's payout to UCLA, the agreement raises questions about whether the Bruins might look radically different after the deal takes effect in July 2017.

Under Armour made a big splash with Maryland, outfitting the Terps football team in a variety of unconventional colors, combinations and designs. The uniforms met with both approval and derision.

That school wanted to shake things up, said Plank, who was a special teams captain for Maryland in the mid-1990s. He pointed out that Under Armour has been more restrained with Notre Dame, which it signed to a 10-year, $90 million deal in 2014.

“Different strokes for different folks,” he said. “There's something incredibly iconic about UCLA, and the last thing we want to do is disrupt that tradition.”

UCLA has expressed interest in seeing new ideas, particularly for hoodies, T-shirts and hats sold to fans. There might also be room for alternative uniforms to be worn in a limited number of games.

“There's a fine line between what is innovative and what a university has always been accustomed to,” Guerrero said.

Nike ignited the spending frenzy with three massive, 15-year contracts starting last summer. First came Michigan at a then-record $169 million. Texas was next at $250 million, and finally Ohio State at $252 million.

As UCLA's current sponsorship drew nearer to an end, administrators figured they had leverage. They began talks with Adidas and Nike but were increasingly drawn toward the new kid on the block.

Plank launched the brand in 1996 from his grandmother's basement. By 2015, Under Armour had grown to nearly $4 billion in revenues.

UCLA seriously considered Under Armour the last time it went shopping for a sponsorship deal, in 2011. This winter, Plank came back with a better offer.

“They're still in their infancy, really, but look at the explosive growth they've had,” Guerrero said. “They're aggressive, they're motivated, and we liked that.”