Tennessee continues to lead the way in creating new revenue streams around its top athletic programs, as the business of college sports keeps shifting.
As part of a new apparel deal with Adidas that will begin in the 2026–27 season, the German sportswear brand will also help fund NIL (name, image, and likeness) deals for the school’s athletes. Tennessee has been a Nike school since 2014, and will still rep the Swoosh during this next academic year.
The unprecedented apparel deal comes after Tennessee announced it would increase football ticket prices by 10% this season, calling the spike a “talent fee” that would be allocated toward revenue-sharing.
NCAA schools are allowed to share up to $20.5 million of revenue with athletes this school year (a number that will go up in future years), which has made the future of NIL deals uncertain. The newly formed College Sports Commission is regulating NIL deals worth more than $600, in an effort to curb pay-for-play practices that have dominated college sports since NIL was first allowed in 2021.
Under these new regulations, deep-pocketed apparel partners like Adidas and Nike could be instrumental in getting more cash into players’ bank accounts. Adidas executive Chris McGuire in a statement said the Tennessee deal “is establishing a new standard for investment in NIL” and that it “will sustain UT’s powerful athletics program.”
Welcome to the New Age
This isn’t the first time Adidas has taken advantage of the new college sports landscape.
Last season, the Three Stripes signed eventual Heisman Trophy winner Cam Ward to a NIL deal that integrated seamlessly, since the quarterback was already wearing Adidas gear at Miami.
Ward went on to become the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft and has a professional endorsement deal with Adidas heading into his rookie season with the Titans.
