Tennessee Reportedly Switching to Adidas as Apparel Provider for CFB, CBB, More

Tennessee is planning to switch to Adidas as the program's apparel sponsor after the school's current deal with Nike expires in 2026, ESPN's Chris Low reported.

The university is set to announce the change later on Wednesday, per Low.

Adidas served as Tennessee's apparel supplier from 1995 to 2014, after which the school switched to Nike.

The Volunteers decided to return to Adidas after "the university could not reach an agreement with Nike to extend its current contract" past 2026, Ben Bobick previously reported for Local 3 News.

Cody McClure previously reported for Fox Sports Knoxville that Nike held exclusive negotiating rights with Tennessee until May 30, at which point the program would have been able to start speaking with Adidas.

Tennessee's original deal with Nike was a $7.6 million contract that ran through the 2022-23 academic year, per On3's Nick Schultz.

The deal was then amended in 2017 to pay $11.6 million through 2026, including a scheduled payment of $1.2 million in each of the final three years under the contract, per Schultz.

The Volunteers are also set to receive $4.5 million worth of "annual product allotment" in the final season of the Nike agreement in 2025-26, Schultz reported.

UT will additionally receive a $100,000 Nike ELITE credit for the athletics department and another $100,000 for "football, men's basketball, women's basketball and administration" next season, Adam Sparks reported for the Knoxville News Sentinel.

Adidas has recently announced apparel deals with other high-profile athletics programs including Texas A&M and Texas Tech over the last few years.

The Texas A&M deal with Adidas is reportedly worth more than $47 million over five years, per Travis L. Brown of the Bryan-College Station Eagle.

Texas Tech's deal with the apparel supplier is reportedly worth $59.25 million over 10 years, including $50 million in product allotment, per Don Williams of the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal.

Some of the brand's biggest apparel deals have reportedly gone to Washington (10 years, $119 million), Nebraska (11 years, $128 million) and Louisville (10 years, $160 million).

In the past, Tennessee has designed its uniforms in-house before partnering with apparel suppliers to create the look, per Sparks. Fans will wait to see whether the new apparel deal coincides with a change in design in 2026.