Univ. of Tennessee administrators said that Adidas “has exceeded” expectations in the past 11 months in anticipation of the school’s switch to the brand from Nike, according to Adam Sparks of the KNOXVILLE NEWS SENTINEL. Adidas promised to make UT a “flagship program of its brand,” and that comes with a “strong emphasis on signing college athletes to NIL deals.” UT AD Danny White said that he has “been impressed by Adidas’ collaborative and aggressive NIL strategy.” White said, “We have an NIL (operations) team. Adidas has an NIL (operations) team. And those people are talking daily.” Sparks notes Adidas “placed a brand representative on campus last fall.” UT’s creative team has “daily calls and meetings with every branch of Adidas, including marketing specialists and sports-specific staff.” Uniforms are usually designed “more than a year in advance,” so Adidas had to “work quickly” after UT signed the apparel contract that ended an 11-year relationship with Nike. In August, UT’s creative team “handed over its uniform designs” to Adidas, and the company “brought fabric samples to campus to review.” In October, the Adidas uniforms for 2026-27 “were finalized.” Then work “immediately began on the 2027-28 uniforms.” UT will unveil its new Adidas uniforms in multiple sports with “daily releases on social media.” The new Adidas merchandise will hit stores on July 10, and “more products will be added throughout the football season” (KNOXVILLE NEWS SENTINEL, 7/1).
MAKE IT OFFICIAL: In Pennsylvania, Jon Sauber notes Penn State officially made its switch to Adidas after 33 years with Nike. Sources said that the deal with Adidas is “valued at roughly” $300M over 10 years. Sauber notes the change became official at midnight on Wednesday and will “include pop-up sales at Pegula Ice Arena for fans to buy the new gear” (CENTRE DAILY TIMES, 7/1).
A’LUMNI TREATMENT: In Columbia, Jordan Kaye wrote one of the unique aspects of the Univ. of South Carolina joining Nike is the fact that the women’s basketball team “will be able to rep” alumni and Aces C A’ja Wilson, who has a signature show with Nike. As part of the contract between USC and Nike, the brand agreed to “provide USC basketball with Nike-branded A’ja Wilson signature sneakers (e.g., A’Two), including USC-specific colorways, to wear on court.” The brand also agreed to feature South Carolina in “A’ja Wilson-related marketing.” That integration “means a ton to coach Dawn Staley,” who herself has been a Nike athlete for over 30 years (Columbia STATE, 6/29).
