Athletes Names: Chase Young, Marvin Harrison Jr, Jeremiyah Love & Jalen Milroe
Brand Name: New Balance
Deal Type: Multi-Athlete Brand Campaign
Announced: March 21, 2026
Impact: Anchors New Balance’s push into American football alongside a broader global sports roster
- New Balance launched its “New Balance Kickoff” campaign on March 21 at the New Balance TRACK, an interactive, open-to-the-public fan experience featuring four of its football ambassadors.
- Chase Young, Marvin Harrison Jr., Jeremiyah Love, and Jalen Milroe ran drills with fans, coached attendees, and promoted New Balance’s “fit-first” football philosophy on the ground.
- The campaign showcases a roster built over three years: Young joined via Klutch Athletics in 2023, Harrison Jr. signed in 2024, Love in 2025, and Milroe earlier in 2026.
- New Balance is using the campaign to underline its growing ambitions in American football, positioning itself alongside global roster names like Shohei Ohtani, Coco Gauff, and Kawhi Leonard.
New Balance brought its football roster together for a big moment. On March 21, the brand hosted its “New Balance Kickoff” experience at the New Balance TRACK: an open, interactive event where fans could meet athletes, test cleats, and run through speed and training drills built around the brand’s fit-first football philosophy.
Chase Young, Marvin Harrison Jr., Jeremiyah Love, and Jalen Milroe were all on the ground; coaching drills, sharing insights, and engaging directly with attendees. The hero spot captures exactly that: four elite athletes connecting with everyday fans.
This campaign mirrors NB’s expanding playbook across sports. Earlier this year, the brand ran a similar campaign with soccer stars like Bukayo Saka and Timothy Weah.
The roster builds on three years of deliberate recruitment. Young became the first football brand ambassador for Klutch Athletics by New Balance back in April 2023, with Harrison Jr. signing a multi-year deal in 2024 ahead of the NFL Draft, Love joining in 2025 after Notre Dame’s National Championship run, and Milroe coming aboard in early 2026.
Off the field, each athlete brings headline momentum. Young posted a career-high 10.0 sacks in just 12 games for New Orleans in 2025 and was named NFC Defensive Player of the Month.
Harrison Jr. is entering his third NFL season with the Arizona Cardinals looking to bounce back after injury-shortened 2025. Love enters 2025 as one of college football’s premier running backs after rushing for 1,125 yards and 17 touchdowns in 2024, including a 98-yard touchdown in Notre Dame’s CFP run.
Milroe, meanwhile, was drafted by Seattle in the 2025 third round and is firmly in Year 2 development mode with the Seahawks.
Beyond New Balance, Harrison Jr. also holds deals with Head & Shoulders and Bose, while Young has a long-running partnership with Chipotle. Love also joined the New Balance roster alongside global icons like Shohei Ohtani, Coco Gauff, Kawhi Leonard, and Cooper Flagg.
Takeaways
New Balance is playing a long game in football, and this campaign is proof it’s working. Rather than buying one superstar and slapping a logo on them, the brand has methodically built a roster across three years: a veteran pass rusher, a high-profile young WR, a breakout college back, and a dual-threat QB with upside.
The “New Balance Kickoff” event is the first real moment they’ve put all four in the same room, and it signals that the brand is ready to market its football identity as a collective, not just individual endorsements.
The timing is also important. Milroe just signed. Harrison Jr. is entering a massive bounce-back season. Love is a preseason All-American favourite. Young just came off a career year. The roster has peak visibility right now, and NB is using it.
Can a challenger brand like New Balance build long-term credibility in American football, a space dominated by Nike, simply by signing the right athletes early and hosting authentic fan experiences? Which of these four athletes feels most poised to become the long-term face of New Balance Football?
