Tennessee athletics made a splash earlier this week when it inked a massive apparel deal with Adidas. The deal will see Adidas make the Big Orange their premier college sports brand.
Vol football coach Josh Heupel met with the media Friday morning for the first time since the deal went public and expressed his excitement for the agreement.
“We’re fortunate, had a partner that wanted to make us their flagship school,” Heupel said. “That’s going to happen in a lot of different ways and going to be a benefit to our football program. But this athletic department as a whole too. Had an opportunity to come talk to some other guys and I think everybody’s really excited that, again, we’re going to be the flagship school for them and it’s going to provide a lot of unique opportunities for our players both on and off the field.”
The deal between Tennessee and the three-stripes begins on July 1, 2026 ending a 12-year partnership between the Vols and Nike. Tennessee previously partnered with Adidas from 1995-2015 before making the move to Nike.
Some have expressed concerns about how the move could affect Tennessee’s football and basketball recruiting, worrying that top recruits won’t want to play for an Adidas school. The recruiting success of Miami and Texas A&M in football and Kansas in men’s basketball would push back against that argument.
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More than anything, the days of recruits making decisions based on apparel brands is outdated. In the NIL era, top players prioritize money and fit more than shoes and apparel. Heupel backed up that notion Friday.
“Not in recent memory,” Heupel responded when asked if he can remember a recruit making a decision based on a school’s apparel brand. “I think as recruits look at who we have partnered with and the opportunities it’s going to provide our players on and off the field. I think It’s going to be a strong showing and something that will be really inviting to them.”
The exact details have not been released to the public but all reports indicate that Adidas will pay Tennessee far more annually than its current Nike deal does. Some of that money could go directly to NIL and Tennessee’s recruiting efforts in multiple sports.
“The role of a college athletics sideline partner has changed dramatically in the 11 years since we last partnered with Tennessee Athletics,” adidas Vice President of North America Sports Marketing Chris McGuire said in a statement. “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.”
