Penn State Reportedly Switching to Adidas for Apparel, Had Been With Nike Since 1993

Penn State reportedly could be in for a major change in the near future.

Brett McMurphy of On 3 reported Tuesday that the Nittany Lions will switch their apparel from Nike to Adidas as long as the school's Board of Trustees approves the move. The Big Ten team, which features some of the most iconic uniforms and helmets in college football, has been with Nike since 1993.

This would be a major get for Adidas since many of the Big Ten's most notable football programs are Nike-sponsored schools such as Ohio State, Michigan and Oregon. Penn State gives the apparel company one of the biggest brands from one of college football's two most notable conferences.

And it also comes on the heels of Adidas landing a notable brand from college football's other most notable conference in the SEC.

Tennessee is making the same switch from Nike to Adidas since its deal with Nike expires in 2026. Adidas has also announced apparel deals with programs such as Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Washington, Nebraska and Louisville in recent years.

Lyle Alenstein of The Daily Collegian noted Nittany Lions would join Indiana, Washington and Nebraska as the Big Ten schools that use Adidas for athletic apparel. However, Alenstein also reported none of the scheduled board of trustees meetings indicate the switch to Adidas will be discussed.

Such apparel deals are even more notable in the current age of college athletics with name, image and likeness deals, as well as revenue sharing and collectives at various schools, making the issue of money all the more important in roster building and recruiting.

Penn State's deal will seemingly be worth millions of dollars, as Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports reported last month the Tennessee deal with Adidas is valued at approximately $10 million per year.

"NIL was right up there," Tennessee athletic director Danny White told Dellenger when explaining why the school made the switch. "We are in a very competitive space. It was at the forefront of my mind."

It was surely a factor in the reported Penn State developments as well as the Nittany Lions attempt to navigate the new world of college athletics.