NIL
Top 100 Prospects Update, Konnor Griffin & NIL Draft Implications
Image credit: Konnor Griffin (Photo by Mike Carlson/MLB Photos via Getty Images) On this week’s episode of Future Projection, Ben Badler and Carlos Collazo catch up on what they’ve been up to over the last few weeks. We talk about the growing excitement for 2026 UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky, then get into a conversation about […]

Image credit:
Konnor Griffin (Photo by Mike Carlson/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
On this week’s episode of Future Projection, Ben Badler and Carlos Collazo catch up on what they’ve been up to over the last few weeks.
We talk about the growing excitement for 2026 UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky, then get into a conversation about the July Top 100 Prospects update.
How good is Konnor Griffin going to be? Who are the players beyond him who have viable cases to be the No. 1 prospect in the game? Is Kayson Cunningham this year’s Kevin McGonigle? What about up-arrow pitchers including Jonah Tong, Trey Yesavage and Orioles flamethrower Esteban Mejia?
We also discuss potential draft sleepers, why NIL has created a new ballgame for signability talks with college players and then discuss whether or not drafting for need is a realistic strategy to employ.
Time Stamps
- (0:00) What we’ve been up to
- (7:00) Roch Cholowsky
- (15:30) Konnor Griffin
- (28:30) Third base value & the defensive spectrum
- (32:30) Other No. 1 prospect candidates
- (40:30) Kevin McGonigle vs. Kayson Cunningham
- (45:00) Jonah Tong & Trey Yesavage
- (50:20) Esteban Mejia
- (55:00) Mike Sirota esque draft sleepers
- (1:00:00) Players having increased leverage in college
- (1:07:00) Is drafting for need now more realistic in the draft?
Want more podcasts like this one? Subscribe below!
Apple Podcasts | Spotify
NIL
Tennessee announces new apparel deal with Adidas, which includes ‘unprecedented’ NIL program
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 […]

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.”
CBS Sports Preseason All-America team: College football’s best and brightest entering the 2025 season
CBS Sports Staff

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.
NIL
Inside the Vols’ switch from Nike in 2026
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 […]

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. Email adam.sparks@knoxnews.com. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe.
Get the latest news and insight on SEC football by subscribing to the SEC Unfiltered newsletter, delivered straight to your inbox.
NIL
Tennessee Moving On From Nike, Signs With Adidas In Major College Athletic Move
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 Facebook Twitter Email Copy Link The University of Tennessee and Adidas announced a new contract on Wednesday that will see athletes donning the new brand starting […]

The Vols are making the massive switch, which financially will make sense in this era of college athletics
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.
NIL
Tennessee agrees to apparel deal with adidas, set to leave Nike
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. […]

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.
NIL
Inside Adidas plans for Tennessee athletics in blockbuster 10
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 […]

- 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.
Get the latest news and insight on SEC football by subscribing to the SEC Unfiltered newsletter, delivered straight to your inbox.
NIL
Soccer Hosting Holy Cross (Ind.) Thursday Afternoon for Exhibition
The Ball State soccer team plays in its second and final exhibition of the 2025 season when it hosts Holy Cross (Ind.) at 4 p.m. on Thursday at the Briner Sports Complex. The Cardinals played Wright State on Sunday and will open up the regular season at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 17 against Purdue […]

The Cardinals played Wright State on Sunday and will open up the regular season at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 17 against Purdue in Muncie.
Thursday’s promotion is Faculty Appreciation Day, where nominated professors will be recognized at halftime.
Head coach Andy Stoots enters his first season leading the program after recent stints at Missouri and Louisville.
-
Technology2 weeks ago
Ally Runs New Game Plan in WNBA All-Star Rookie Debut
-
Health2 weeks ago
The Women Driving A New Era In U.S. Ski & Snowboard
-
High School Sports3 weeks ago
100 days to men's college basketball
-
NIL2 weeks ago
ESPN Announces 'dont wait run fast' by mgk as New College Football Anthem for 2025
-
College Sports3 weeks ago
City rows to sporting destination goal on boats of new complexes & old strengths
-
Sports3 weeks ago
Ntekpere honored as Second Team Academic All-American | APG State News
-
Rec Sports1 week ago
Swimming & Diving Comments on the Rules – 2025-26
-
Health3 weeks ago
Trump administration investigates Oregon's transgender athlete policies
-
Technology1 week ago
Amid Sports Chaos, ‘Known’ Data and Outcomes Help Agency Win
-
Sports3 weeks ago
More State Schools of the Year