Tennessee sophomore wide receiver Mike Matthews is fired up about the Vols’ new partnership with Adidas, but he’s not letting it distract him from the season ahead. UT and Adidas announced a new 10-year deal that will begin on July 1, 2026, when the Vols’ current partnership with Nike expires.
“I love it,” Matthews said about the new partnership. “I mean, they’re pretty making us a priority, just in terms of just football and having us being like, pretty much just a college household name of sports. The connection with Adidas is major. But I’m really just focused on this upcoming season. So, not ’til next year.”
The Vols’ current deal with Nike began on July 1, 2015, and will run through July 1, 2026. Tennessee Athletic Director Danny White said in a statement that Adidas “recognized [UT’s] 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,” White said in a UT press release. “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.”
The news was just one day old when Matthews spoke about it during a preseason interview on Thursday morning in Knoxville. Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel also commented on the news on Friday morning after the Vols’ second fall camp scrimmage from Neyland Stadium.
“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.”
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Heupel also noted that the benefits from being with a partner such as Adidas are going “to be a strong showing and something that will be really inviting” for UT football players. Tennessee Athletics’ other athletes will also benefit from the new partnership, too.
Tennessee’s press release on Wednesday states that “adidas will be the official footwear, uniform, apparel and sideline partner of UT Athletics.” It’s a return to the past for Tennessee Athletics, which previously partnered with the three-stripes brand from 1995 to 2014. During that time, Tennessee won multiple national championships, including football (1998) and women’s basketball (2007, 2008).
Some fans online expressed concern about the move to Adidas, specifically regarding the design of the uniforms across all sports. Those fears were quickly eased, though. While speaking with Brent Hubbs of Volquest (On3 Sports) last week, White noted that Tennessee will have creative control over its uniforms with the same internal team who have been putting together the Nike uniforms.
“… We have creative control, but they have talented creative people. We have talented creative people. I think that anytime you’re a priority for someone, I think that there’s more opportunity for ideation and thinking about how do we continue to have our foot on the pedal in terms of innovation. But we will always make sure we’re honoring our traditions and Adidas knows how important that is,” White said, via VQ.
For a look at what Adidas has done with other programs around the country, check out RTI’s breakdown here.
