The University of Tennessee will now be the face of Adidas in College Football

By Jason Bolton June 11, 2025 11:02

Speculation is rife that Tennessee may be considering a switch from Nike to Adidas in the near future. UT’s contract with Nike comes to an end next year, and the chance to enter into a new negotiation, either to renew or move on, would no doubt lead to a better deal that could bolster revenue.

The current deal was signed in 2023 and Nike are scheduled to pay $1.2 million in base compensation with a $4.5 million coming from product allotment, as well as a number of other stipulations that benefit Tennessee’s athletics department, and both men’s and women’s basketball.

Fans of the Tennessee Volunteers who want to back Josh Heupel’s side to build on last season’s 10-3 record may want to place a wager on such an ambition, in which case this BetMGM promo code will go a long way to making the bet as close to risk-free as possible.

Nike have worked with UT since 2014, but it’s worth noting that for 16 years prior to their involvement, Adidas were in place as their apparel supplier and therefore a switch back would not be as big a surprise as many may have made out.

Frankly, if Tennessee achieves anything in 2025, perhaps their first national title since 1998, then who provides their uniforms won’t matter a great deal. Last season, Heupel’s team reached the College Football Playoff, where they lost to eventual national champions Ohio State 17-42.

2025 sees Heupel having to deal with the departure of quarterback Nico Iamaleava, who pushed for a better deal and quickly found that UT were willing to blink first, and off he went to UCLA.

It was a situation that Heupel did not want to find himself in, and he was surprisingly honest about the situation when outlining the circumstances that led to the exit of the 20-year-old potential NFL Draft first-round pick.

“It’s the state of college football,”

“At the end of the day, no one is ever bigger than the program. That includes me, too.”

“We’ve got an opportunity. We’ve got a bunch of guys who are going to give their all for Tennessee. We move forward. Got a great group. Let’s go compete.”

“It’s unfortunate – just the situation and where we’re at with Nico,”

“I want to thank him for everything that he’s done since he’s gotten here.”

When Iamaleava was not present at practice, Heupel attempted to reach him, without success, which pretty much confirmed how things would pan out.

“Friday morning, when he’s a no-show. You come off the practice field and there’s no communication,” Heupel stated in exasperated fashion.

It will be tough for Heupel to effectively replace a player of Iamleava’s undoubted talent, but clearly UT were put between a rock and a hard place when the QB looked to force their hand and they really had no other option than to move on.

Tennessee starts the 2025 season at Syracuse before hosting East Tennessee as part of a three-game run at Neyland Stadium.