‘I love it, they’re kind of making us a priority’ — Tennessee Vols WR Mike Matthews has a strong take on a crucial tool that Josh Heupel can utilize in the coming years
It was a big week for Tennessee athletics
The Tennessee Volunteers are heading back into the Adidas camp once again, a move should prove fruitful for a number of reasons for years to come. Tennessee announced on Wednesday that they are moving back from Nike to the company they partnered with from 1995-2014. Their deal with Nike is set to end in 2026.
Primarily, that change will mean money in the pockets for the university, which is obviously a good thing in today’s NIL world. But it’s a massive change, as the amount Tennessee will earn is expected to be multiple times more what they were getting from Nike and will include a financial component that will fund Tennessee NIL directly, as indicated by the joint release by the university and Adidas.
“The role of a college athletics sideline partner has changed dramatically in the 11 years since we last partnered with Tennessee Athletics,” said Chris McGuire, adidas Vice President of Sports Marketing, North America in the joint release. “adidas is establishing a new standard for investment in NIL with this partnership that will sustain UT’s powerful athletics program as the university continues competing for championships for years to come.”
It will also be a chance for the sports apparel giant to push the university and their athletes front and center and promote them with marketing opportunities. That’s not lost on athletes like Mike Matthews, who addressed the change to Adidas on Thursday.
“I love it. They’re kind of making us a priority just in terms of football and having us be just the college household name of Adidas sports, and the connection with Adidas is just major.”
In addition, a number of high-profile recruits have signed agreements with Adidas, including five-star WR Tristan Keys, who Tennessee is working very hard to trip to flip from LSU, a Nike school.
Being able to boast being a partner of the company they’re signed with is just one more feather that Josh Heupel can put in his cap when trying to pull in Keys or any other high profile player to Knoxville, whether that’s in recruiting or the transfer portal.
It was a no brainer of a move for Danny White and Tennessee, and it could be something that delivers direct benefits on the playing fields for the Vols for years to come.
