J.J. McCarthy is aware of the time.
The Michigan football quarterback is making sure he’ll be playing in style against the Alabama Crimson Tide as the team travels to Los Angeles this week to begin preparations for the College Football Playoff semifinal in the Rose Bowl.
In contrast to the 2007 Michigan game in Pasadena, there has been a noticeable increase in the number of players expressing themselves through accessories. Nothing less would be expected in the age of name, image, and likeness. McCarthy is going to take it a step further with the Jordan brand cleats he plans to wear for the game on January 1.
You can be sure that other members of the Michigan football family will also own some custom cleats, as the designer of the cleats has been very active in the football community. Jada Kitna Henderson, who has made this a full-time job, is the wife of Wolverines starting left tackle LaDarius Hendeson and the daughter of former Detroit Lions starting quarterback Jon Kitna. Not only has she established a reputation for herself in the collegiate ranks but also in the NFL with her custom cleat designs.
In 2019, Jon Kitna told Dak Prescott that his daughter was a gifted artist and designer who had been making custom shoes while he was coaching the quarterbacks for the Dallas Cowboys.
The starting quarterback for the Cowboys expressed interest.
Prescott contacted Kitna, therefore, when he was considering customizing pairs of Air Jordan 1 sneakers for his pals as a Christmas present.
Prescott stated, “We sent them to her, and she blew it away.”
In 2021’s summer, Prescott inked a contract with Jordan Brand. That meant, come Cowboys season, donning different Air Jordan cleats.
Prescott stated, “We really couldn’t get the supply and the colorways in on time because it was coming off COVID.” Thus, all I had were plain black and white people. She would do an amazing job with the designs and colors we came up with after I sent them to her.
And that’s when Jada Kitna Henderson turned her passion of customizing shoes and cleats into her full-time career. She finished several pairs for Prescott and shared pictures on social media. There were also skeptics.
