Tennessee won’t have to wait until next summer to reap the reward of switching from Nike to Adidas as its apparel provider. In announcing the 10-year deal with the three stripes that will be effective July 1, 2026, Tennessee also revealed that Adidas will immediately become involved in Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) deals with its student-athletes for the 2025-26 academic and athletic year. It expands the partnership between the two entities beyond just uniforms and apparel and better suits the current landscape of college athletics where athlete compensation is paramount to competing for championships in the most prominent sports.

The House settlement earlier this summer ushered in the revenue-sharing era of college sports, and Tennessee and other schools now can distribute up to $20.5 million (and more in the future) to its teams however it sees fit. But the NIL game introduced to college sports in 2021 isn’t going anywhere. The richest and most competitive schools – Tennessee, with its revenue this year nearing $280 million, considers itself in that echelon – undoubtedly will use it on top of the revenue-sharing checks to attract and keep top talent.

That aspect of the Adidas deal surely had to be appealing for Tennessee and athletic director Danny White, who earlier this year vowed that the Vols and Lady Vols were “as competitive as anyone” in college sports.

According to Tennessee’s release, Adidas “will offer unprecedented NIL opportunities for student-athletes across all 20 of the University’s varsity program” and already “is working to land NIL deals with Tennessee student-athletes during the 2025-2026 school year.”

“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.”

Once the partnership officially begins next summer, Tennessee athletes will be eligible to participate in the Adidas NIL Ambassador Network, “which gives all student-athletes at adidas-partnered Division I schools the chance to benefit from their Name, Image and Likeness.”

Tennessee’s past partnership with Adidas (1995-2014) included the 1998 football national championship and back-to-back women’s basketball national titles (2007-08). The athletic department is currently in perhaps its best-ever stretch of collective success with Directors Cup finishes of No. 6, No. 3 and No. 6 in the past three years. The run has included two top-10 finishes in football, two Elite Eight appearances in men’s basketball, the 2024 national championship in baseball, two Women’s College World series appearances in the past three years in softball and the resurgence of the Lady Vols basketball program last season.

“From my days rocking the orange and white to now leading on and off the court, adidas has always had my back with the best gear and support,” said Lady Vol basketball legend Candace Parker, the President of Women’s Basketball for Adidas. “Seeing adidas link back up with Tennessee feels like coming full circle. I know this partnership is going to open a ton of doors for the next generation of Vols — and I couldn’t be more hype about it.”

Tennessee athletics is officially making the switch back to Adidas as its apparel and equipment partner, the school announced on Wednesday. In addition to the traditional apparel partnership, Adidas will be providing Tennessee athletes with NIL opportunities throughout the deal.

The Volunteers were originally partnered with Adidas from 1995-2014, at which point they made the jump to Nike. Just over a decade later, Tennessee and Adidas are reuniting on a 10-year deal, which will take effect in July 2026.

During its original run with Nike, Tennessee was no stranger to success on the national stage, including championships in football and basketball. While those memories are nice to have, one of the biggest factors in this deal for the Vols was Adidas’ support in the NIL landscape.

“This partnership provides us with a significant advantage in the ever-evolving landscape of college sports,” Tennessee athletic director Danny White said in a statement. “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.”

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In its announcement, Tennessee said that Adidas would provide “unprecedented” NIL opportunities for athletes across all 20 of the school’s varsity sports. In fact, Adidas will immediately start working toward securing NIL deals with Tennessee athletes during the 2025-26 athletic season.

When the deal officially kicks in, the Volunteers will have access to the Adidas NIL Ambassador Network, which is available to all of the apparel company’s partners. That should be key for Tennessee as it looks for legal ways to help athletes boost the NIL earnings outside of the new revenue sharing cap.

The newly-formed College Sports Commission (CSC) has expressed strong opposition to pay-for-play NIL deals. In a recent guidance, the CSC stated that NIL deals must “have a valid business purpose related to offering goods or services to the general public for profit and fall within the range of fair market value compensation.”

If Tennessee’s new partnership with Adidas can help athletes find NIL opportunities that meet those criteria, then it should boost the Volunteers’ efforts in the financial arms race that is college athletics.

When it comes to crafting on-field and on-court looks, Tennessee will still have control as the “primary driver of uniform design.” Back in 2013, Tennessee and Adidas unveiled the “Smokey Grey” alternates, and Nike did their own version of them after taking over. The question will be whether Adidas does its own version of the “Dark Mode” uniforms, which have become popular with Vol fans in recent years.

The Vols are making the massive switch, which financially will make sense in this era of college athletics

PublishedAugust 13, 2025 3:34 PM EDT•UpdatedAugust 13, 2025 3:54 PM EDT

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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. 

As its agreement with Nike gets ready to expire, Tennessee is going back to its former apparel partner. The school agreed to a new deal with adidas, On3’s Brett McMurphy has confirmed, as first reported by ESPN’s Chris Low.

Tennessee left adidas in 2014 to sign with Nike, and the amended deal runs through 2026. Through the partnership, the university is set to receive $1.2 million in base compensation in 2025-26 and $4.5 million in annual product allotment.

UT initially signed its deal with Nike in 2014, and the original contract paid the school $7.6 million through 2022-23. However, the amendment increased that figure to 11.6 million over 11 years and increased the scheduled payment to $1.2 million for the final three years of the agreement, starting in 2023-24.

Tennessee is the latest high-profile addition to adidas’ school partners. The company signed an agreement with Texas A&M in 2022 worth more than $47 million over five years, according to Sports Business Journal, and $3 million per year in base compensation.

Texas Tech also secured a 10-year partnership with adidas in 2024 that includes $50 million in total product allotment. Additionally, former Red Raiders star Patrick Mahomes – who has an endorsement deal with adidas – partnered with the school on an NIL initiative. Six athletes signed with “Team Mahomes” as part of NIL deals.

The inaugural list of “Team Mahomes” athletes included five-star receiver Micah Hudson, USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year NiJaree Canady and women’s basketball leading scorer Jasmine Shavers. Men’s golfer Matthew Comegys, women’s soccer star Sam Courtwright and Freshman All-American baseball player TJ Pompey rounded out the group.

Full terms of the endorsement contracts were not made available; however, the six athletes participated in brand marketing campaigns. That included marketing Mahomes’ signature shoe and apparel line with adidas.