Sports
6 Texas High School Programs, Including Carthage, Get Patrick Mahomes Brand Gear
Tiffany Chartier - Senior Production Editor | Aug 12, 2026
Mahomes adidas Carthage Gladiator 2026 | Image by Carthage Bulldogs @carthagedawgs/X/08/12/26
Patrick Mahomes and adidas are expanding the NFL quarterback’s “Gladiator” brand to Carthage High School, adding the East Texas football program to a national group of high schools that will wear Mahomes-branded gear during the 2026 season.
Carthage is one of 28 high school football programs nationwide selected for the 2026 Mahomes Brand program, according to the newly announced lineup. Six of the schools are in Texas: Carthage, Longview, South Oak Cliff, Southlake Carroll, Vandegrift, and Whitehouse.
Carthage joins Mahomes’ high school football lineup
The Carthage football program confirmed the selection Wednesday in a post on its official X account, saying the Bulldogs will join the “Mahomes x Adidas x Gladiator family” in 2026 with a custom all-white road uniform.
CARTHAGE x MAHOMES x ADIDAS 🏆
The Bulldogs are joining the Mahomes x Adidas x Gladiator family in 2026 with a custom all-white road uniform.
East Texas toughness. Elite championship standard.@adidasFballUS @PatrickMahomes pic.twitter.com/2ji9Q1sJTB
— Carthage Bulldogs (@carthagedawgs) August 12, 2026
The announcement is part of a broader expansion of Mahomes’ high school football initiative. On Wednesday, Mahomes and adidas announced the 28 programs receiving Mahomes Brand gear for the 2026 season.
According to the published list, the Texas schools include Carthage, Longview, South Oak Cliff, Southlake Carroll, Vandegrift, and Whitehouse. Other participating programs are located in states including Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee.
A Texas connection
The Carthage selection has an additional East Texas connection because Mahomes grew up in the region and attended Whitehouse High School.
Whitehouse was among the original 15 high school programs selected for Mahomes’ Gladiator uniforms in 2025, along with Longview and Southlake Carroll.
Southlake Carroll previously announced its partnership with Mahomes and adidas in October 2025, describing the school as one of three Texas programs selected at the time. The district said Mahomes had chosen Carroll, Longview, and Whitehouse for the initial Texas group.
What is the Gladiator logo?
The Gladiator mark is part of Mahomes’ signature athletic brand and has been incorporated into football uniforms and merchandise associated with his adidas partnership.
Adidas currently markets Mahomes-branded apparel featuring the Gladiator mask logo and describes Mahomes as one of its football athletes.
The high school initiative began with 15 programs receiving Mahomes-branded uniforms and gear for the 2025 season. The 2026 group has expanded to 28 schools.
Several schools have announced their selections individually throughout the year. Baylor School in Tennessee, for example, announced in February that it had been selected as Tennessee’s only Mahomes “Gladiator” high school for 2026 as part of a new multi-year partnership with adidas. Baylor said the agreement includes adidas uniforms, apparel, and accessories for its athletic programs.
Carthage will wear an all-white road uniform
For Carthage, the 2026 partnership will feature a custom all-white road uniform, according to the Bulldogs’ announcement.
Carthage has established itself as one of Texas high school football’s most successful programs, making the Mahomes connection particularly notable as the Bulldogs enter another season of competition.
The school joins several other prominent Texas programs in the 2026 Mahomes Brand lineup, including South Oak Cliff and Southlake Carroll.
For Carthage, the most visible result will arrive on Friday nights, when the Bulldogs take the field wearing a uniform carrying the signature Gladiator mark of one of East Texas’ most recognizable football exports.
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