Homecoming season is back, and with it come bustling football game tailgates, a palpable nostalgia for on-campus shenanigans and, of course, another series of fire Nike Yardrunner HBCU collaborations.

The CAU Air Max 97 is a dually honorific celebration of both Clark Atlanta University and three decades of the Air Max 97 sneaker, which turns 30 next year.

This iteration of the Air Max 97 wears Clark Atlanta University's red and gray coloring and a full-length visible Max Air unit that stretches from the heel to the toe.

Within Nike's Air Max universe, the AM97 is something of a stretch limo thanks to its elongated and connected Air Unit.

This poses quite the contrast to the segmented Air Units found underneath other Air Max models like the Air Max 95, which has made its way around Yardrunners HBCU circuit a time or two as well.

Every year, Nike introduces a new class of Yardrunners, paying homage to the cultural tastemakers at HBCUs or Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Previous Yardrunner collaborators include Dex Robinson, Kahlana Barfield Brown, and even Megan Thee Stallion.

In fact, this Air Max 97 isn't even Nike's first time at CAU. In 2022, Nike created a Dunk Low with Clark Atlanta University, and if history is any guide, this Air Max 97 won't be the last.

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