The University of Tennessee made a major move recently with the announcement that they’re switching from Nike back to Adidas, with whom they partnered for decades up until 2015.
Some have applauded the move, while others have complained. And to those complaining about the prior styles under Adidas, I understand the hesitation.
That being said, the move turned out to be a very easy decision for the school when the financials were revealed and will put millions more each year into the school’s pockets,
including money directly for NIL.
But another reason came up this week on the Josh and Swain show, when Tennessee baseball coach Tony Vitello talked about how Nike was actively working against Tennessee and in favor of their flagship school – Oregon – for one of the top players in amateur baseball last year.
“You want to feel like you’re a first-class citizen when you’re dealing with somebody, especially when they’re in charge of apparel and equipment,” Vitello said. “You also want the availability to customize things because of NIL, because kids have their own quote-unquote brand, and when you see the scales tipping in favor of Adidas, it’s something that makes sense.
“It opens up your eyes (being the flagship program for Adidas). We signed the best player out of the state of Oregon, and Nike made a pitch at him to stay at Oregon. Kruz Schoolcraft is his name. The story ends in an unfortunate way for Vol fans because he gets drafted in the first round and won’t make it here. In visiting him, I didn’t realize Adidas’ headquarters [are] right there where Nike’s headquarters are, which is pretty interesting. But when you’re up there, again, that recruitment of Kruz, Oregon has in their back pocket the wild card. They are the Nike school, and they’re blessed. How many kids have gone there, especially for football, just because that was the swing factor?
“And so, when you talk about us being the Oregon school for Adidas, it kind of pops your eyes open a little bit. It strengthens the brand, which has already been strong for decades, of University of Tennessee athletics, Lady Vols and our athletics.”
Schoolcraft, who had committed to Tennessee, ended up being drafted in the first round of the 2025 MLB draft last month as expected, as he was one of the top ranked prospects. He was ultimately selected with the 25th overall pick by the San Diego Padres, so it all became moot as far as his recruitment. But it tells a giant story about what it means to be a flagship program for a company versus an afterthought.
I find that incredible even if I shouldn’t find it surprising. A school’s apparel company telling a kid to go to one school over another. That’s gross. But gross is a common theme with much of collegiate athletics, particularly in recent years.
Fortunately, that won’t be the case moving forward with Adidas considering Tennessee a top priority.
