It’s been a summer of new apparel deals in the SEC. Auburn officially made the move from Under Armor to Nike back in July, and Tennessee announced its upcoming move from Nike to adidas. The newest apparel move in the conference came Friday when South Carolina announced that it is moving from Under Armor to Nike.
How does South Carolina’s new deal with Nike compare to Tennessee’s new deal with adidas?
The Sports Business Journal’s Ben Portnoy gained access to the term sheet of the deal after South Carolina’s announcement Friday. Nike will pay South Carolina $500,000 annually for a total of $5 million over the 10-year deal. There is a bonus structure that would pay South Carolina more with team success.
Other aspects of the deal include Nike making an alternate uniform for the football program, a new court design for the basketball court and an integration of A’ja Wilson, a former South Carolina basketball star, gear into the program.
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The exact numbers on Tennessee football’s new deal with adidas is not currently clear. However, multiple reports, including from ESPN’s Chris Low, indicate that adidas will pay Tennessee close to $20 million a year. In the release announcing the new deal, adidas stated that a part of its payment would go directly to supporting Tennessee athletes in the NIL space.
It’s a remarkable contrast in the size of deals, speaking to both how badly adidas wanted to poach Tennessee and how minuscule South Carolina’s new agreement with Nike is.
Let’s say that adidas is paying Tennessee $19 million a year. It would take 38 years for Nike’s base payment of South Carolina to equal the Vols’ annual payout.
Tennessee and South Carolina have been rivals since the Gamecocks joined the conference in 1992. The two teams played every season on the football field from 1992-2023 with Tennessee owning a 22-10 advantage over that time.
