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The University of Tennessee and Adidas announced a new contract on Wednesday that will see athletes donning the new brand starting in 2026.

Right now, Tennessee athletics is still under contract with Nike until the summer of 2026, when Adidas will take over on July 1 of next year. But, this isn’t the first time that the Vols have donned the jerseys of the company they are set to get back together with. In 2014, Tennessee left Adidas for Nike, in a deal that at the time ran through 2022-2023, until an extension was signed. 

This past spring, the window for negotiations began because both Nike and Tennessee could not come to an agreement on a new contract. It was at that moment, when the open period began, that Adidas came through the doors with a deal that was too hard to turn down, especially on the NIL front for Tennessee athletics. 

Now, Adidas will be offereing ‘unprecedented NIl deals to current athletes, which could start as soon as this season in all sports, thanks to third-party agreements. 

Adidas Offer Was Too Good To Turn Down For Tennessee, Especially With NIL

Even though Nike was given the opportunity to match the offer made by Adidas, it did not come close to what was being offered by the Vols’ new apparel company. This made the decision much easier, along with the fact that the new contract with Adidas is going to play a major part in NIL revenue for student-athletes once the new contract begins. 

“The role of a college athletics sideline partner has changed dramatically in the 11 years since we last partnered with Tennessee Athletics,” said Chris McGuire, adidas Vice President of Sports Marketing, North America. “adidas is establishing a new standard for investment in NIL with this partnership that will sustain UT’s powerful athletics program as the university continues competing for championships for years to come.”  

And while there are certain players that have outside NIL deals with other companies, like basketball star Nate Ament with Reebok, the new deal with Adidas will not affect those types of third-party contracts. You just won’t see Tennessee promoting a company like Reebok, or sharing any pictures that would show the star basketball player’s shoes or outerwear. 

Tennessee Is Leaving Nike For Adidas, In Landmark Deal That Has Fans Conflicted (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)

For the athletic department, this is a major step in receiving additional income, during a time when schools are searching for ways to raise money in this new revenue-sharing era. Though the contract details will not be released by Adidas, I am told that the company is making Tennessee its premier school, from a contract structuring standpoint. 

“Our mission is to build the premier athletics department in the country and to lead the way in college sports. Partnering with adidas is an ideal fit, as their mission is to be the best sports brand in the world,” said University of Tennessee Vice Chancellor/Director of Athletics Danny White. “There is no denying the resurgence of Tennessee Athletics, powered by the greatest fan base in all of sports. Our strong licensing numbers, impressive television ratings, and sold-out venues all reflect this. adidas recognized our potential and responded with one of the best apparel deals in the history of college sports, prioritizing Vol Nation and the Tennessee brand.”

“This partnership provides us with a significant advantage in the ever-evolving landscape of college sports. We take pride in our fan base and the competitive edge they offer us. We refuse to partner with someone who does not feel the same way.”

Tennessee Made The Lucrative Decision To Leave Nike For Adidas

And while there has been plenty of mixed reactions on social media from Tennessee fans regarding the move back to Adidas, thanks to some very bad uniform decisions in the past, the school will have full authority over its designs under this new agreement. 

Tennessee Is Leaving Nike For Adidas, In Landmark Deal That Has Fans Conflicted.  (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

In recent years, Texas Tech and Texas A&M have both signed deals with Adidas, even though some will argue that it’s a risk moving away from Nike. 

But, if you are an athlete for the Vols, I would imagine you’ll start seeing this payoff financially over the next few years, under this new 10-year agreement. If there is one thing that the school is banking on with this new agreement with Adidas, it certainly centers around the additional revenue, and how NIL will be a benefactor moving forward. 

So, I guess you’re just going to have to trust Tennessee to make the right decisions on presenting its brand with Adidas to the world. 

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AI-assisted summary
• Tennessee will switch from Nike to Adidas for its athletic apparel in 2026, marking a significant shift in college sports branding.
• The 10-year deal aims to position UT as Adidas’ flagship program, similar to Oregon’s relationship with Nike, and includes a groundbreaking NIL program.
• Adidas plans to leverage UT athletes in national marketing campaigns and offer NIL opportunities across all sports, including a signature shoe line.

University of Tennessee athletics will switch from Nike to Adidas in 2026 as its official apparel supplier in a blockbuster 10-year deal that plans to make the Vols the brand’s flagship college program while paying its athletes for their name, image and likeness.

In short, Tennessee will be to Adidas what Oregon is to Nike and Notre Dame is to Under Armour.

And Adidas has big plans beyond that. They include a broader collection of fan gear, stocking stores year-round with new team apparel, marketing campaigns featuring UT athletes and a line of Vols signature shoes.

“We’ve been trying to do this for the past decade, so it’s exciting that we’re finally here,” Chris McGuire, Adidas Vice President of Sports Marketing, told Knox News.

Adidas apparently made an offer too good for UT to refuse, and Nike didn’t counter.

“My best guess would be that Adidas’ offer was so strong that (Nike) chose not to (make a counter offer),” UT athletics director Danny White told Knox News on Aug. 13, the day the deal was announced.

Neither Adidas nor UT disclosed financial terms of the deal because its unique structure would provide a competitive advantage if revealed, a UT spokesperson said.

“It’s important for our fans to know that it’s not just about the money. It’s about partnering with the right brand,” White said. “But it’s one of the biggest deals in the history of college sports. We will be the flagship to Adidas.”

Adidas will become UT’s official footwear, uniform, apparel and sideline partner, beginning July 1, 2026. It had previously served as the Vols’ apparel provider from 1995 to 2015.

Now Adidas is back with its groundbreaking NIL program, which signs high school and college players for major marketing campaigns. The brand wants to feature UT nationwide and offer NIL opportunities for athletes in all 20 sports for the Vols.

“Tennessee has always been a priority for us,” McGuire said. “Knowing there was an opportunity to start conversations with them, we jumped on that immediately.”

Who will design Tennessee’s Adidas uniforms?

Nike will remain the Vols’ apparel and uniform supplier for the 2025-26 academic year while UT prepares for the switch to Adidas.

UT designs its own uniforms in house and collaborates with the brand to bring them to the field, the court and official team stores.

That doesn’t guarantee that fans will like every uniform design. But it does ensure that UT won’t be caught off guard by a color scheme or design that it did not intend. That independence was a precondition for any UT apparel provider.

“From day one of these conversations, Adidas has assured us that the existing design ethos of Tennessee athletics is critically important to their ambitions for our brand,” said Alicia Longworth, UT deputy AD/chief marketing officer.

How Adidas could pay Tennessee athletes for NIL

The change from Nike to Adidas could be a divisive decision among UT fans.

During the previous partnership, there were highs like the Vols wearing Adidas football jerseys during the 1998 national title season. And there were lows like the awkward uniform designs during sub-par football seasons late in the Adidas era.

But the lucrative Adidas contract will help fund UT’s revenue sharing pool to pay athletes.

Plus, Adidas prioritizes college sports, so it could open doors to national branding campaigns for elite UT athletes with signature NIL deals. At Nike, most of those opportunities were reserved for NFL and NBA players.

That’s a new concept in the NIL era, where schools can facilitate corporate contracts for their athletes. National campaigns then feature those college athletes in ways they couldn’t do in the previous era.

“Obviously, we’ll always have the big school relationship. But it’s great to use different marketing campaigns in and around campus (featuring UT athletes)” said McGuire, an Adidas executive for the past 26 years.

“Some will go national, depending on who they are. Some will be regional campaigns. And if it’s a new football jersey or basketball jersey that needs to be sold, we’ll use athletes there on campus, and they’ll be compensated.”

Vols signature shoes and other NIL opportunities

Adidas is a leader in NIL because it dove headfirst into the industry once it was adopted by the NCAA in 2021. And the company has remained aggressive in the NIL space.

Adidas is already working to land NIL deals with current UT athletes.

Once the partnership begins in July 2026, every UT athlete will be eligible to participate in Adidas’ NIL Ambassador Network, which touts more than 12,000 college athletes who earn a percentage of the sales they drive for key products and campaigns.

The NIL Ambassador Network is only available to athletes at Adidas-partnered Division I schools.

Adidas’ NIL approach is different for each school it partners with, and that’ll be the case for UT.

At Texas Tech, Adidas created “Team Mahomes,” an NIL squad featuring NFL MVP quarterback Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs alongside six high-profile athletes from different sports at his alma mater. That could provide a blueprint for Adidas’ NIL plan at UT.

Texas A&M, Miami, Nebraska, Mississippi State, Kansas, Washington, Indiana and Arizona State are among other Adidas schools. They were featured with school-specific signature shoes in Adidas’ College Collection, which will include Tennessee in a future design.

“Tennessee will be in that mix (in a signature shoe collection) in the future,” McGuire, the Adidas VP, said. “We do different renditions of footwear throughout the course of the year – some more lifestyle, some more performance driven.

“So believe me, Tennessee will have their fair share of everything we have to offer.”

How Lady Vols legend Candace Parker impacts Adidas deal

UT already has a signature former athlete at Adidas in Lady Vols legend Candace Parker, the president of its women’s basketball division. Before Parker earned two WNBA MVP awards and two Olympic gold medals, she led the Lady Vols to NCAA titles in 2007 and 2008.

Parker helped facilitate the Adidas deal with UT, and she will have a voice in the brand’s marketing strategy with her alma mater.

“Candace has been a great partner of ours, obviously, from her days at Tennessee. I hear from Candace a lot on the importance of the Volunteer nation and how it would be great if we were back to being partners,” McGuire said.

“We use Candace quite a bit in the background to help facilitate some different ideas that we can bring to the university. (She) was able to share some great insights for us across all (Tennessee) sports.”

How dropping Nike could impact Vols recruiting

Traditionally, athletes have considered the apparel brand when choosing a school. In fact, a decade ago, it was common for a recruit to have that as a top priority, and Nike was a popular choice.

That’s undoubtedly still true for some athletes, but those instances are dwindling.

In the NIL era, the school’s apparel brand has slid down the priority list in recent years. Instead, the highest priority is now player pay, and by a wide margin. Athletes want to know how much money they can earn in NIL and direct school-to-player pay.

In theory, UT should fund a more talented roster with increased revenue from Adidas or, at least, leverage the partnership to land touted prospects.

Adidas has been aggressive in signing some of the nation’s top high school athletes in hopes of continuing that relationship in college and the pros. UT recruits many of those same players.

How Tennessee let Nike go after 12 years

UT’s contract with Nike runs through June 30, 2026, according to the amendment provided by the university to Knox News.

The deal was initially set to run through 2023, but former AD Dave Hart signed an extension through the 2025-26 academic year.

Nike is scheduled to pay Tennessee $1.2 million in base compensation in 2025-26, with an annual product allotment of $4.5 million. UT gets an annual Nike ELITE credit of $100,000 for the athletics department and an additional $100,000 for football, men’s basketball, women’s basketball and administration.

Per the contract, UT and Nike began negotiations for extending the deal in late 2024. But that exclusive negotiating window ended March 30.

That’s when Adidas and other brands came into the picture. Nike could’ve matched the highest bid, but it balked on that opportunity.

The Vols are a popular brand in college sports. They have an enormous fan base and enjoy the widespread exposure of the SEC. That made UT a coveted client, and Adidas submitted a bid that wouldn’t be beaten.

Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Emailadam.sparks@knoxnews.com. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe.

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