Tennessee’s new partnership with apparel brand adidas includes more than uniforms and shoe wear for Volunteers’ athletics, it’s also a major move in the Name, Image and Likeness space.
The new deal was announced on Wednesday by Tennessee, which is set to make $10 million annually from 2026-36 after spending the last 12 years in a partnership with Nike. The Volunteers were previously partnered with adidas from 1995-2014.
The new revenue-share model, established by the House settlement’s ruling, allows participating schools like Tennessee to share up to $20.5 million directly to athletes this year with that figure increasing over the next 10 years.
What the cap doesn’t include is third-party endorsement and commercial deals, where schools can work with companies like adidas to provide even more ammunition from an NIL perspective.
“In addition to providing top-tier footwear, apparel and equipment for training and competition, adidas and the University of Tennessee, which already boasts one of the premier NIL programs in the country, will offer unprecedented NIL opportunities for student-athletes across all 20 of the university’s varsity programs,” the release reads.
Although the partnership doesn’t officially kick in until July 1 of next year, adidas is already working to sign NIL deals with Tennessee players for the 2025-26 school year. Once the partnership begins, all Tennessee athletes will be eligible for adidas’ NIL Ambassador Network.