
The Tennessee Volunteers‘ partnership deal with Nike is scheduled to expire in 2026.
Last week, the Vols allegedly had conversations with Adidas regarding a potential deal. According to Brent Hubbs from VolQuest, Tennessee’s meeting with Adidas seems to be a real possibility:
“They’ve had some conversations [with Tennessee],” Hubbs said. “I don’t know that there’s anything formal on paper yet in terms of an offer, but Adidas is very aggressive, and has been very aggressive, and clearly likes and wants Tennessee. And Tennessee is listening.”
Although there hasn’t been any official information, Adidas is rumored to have offered a 10-year deal worth $200 million.
Tennessee’s History with Adidas (1997-2014)
If Tennessee switched to Adidas, it wouldn’t be the first. The Vols switched to Adidas in 1997 (Peyton Manning’s senior year) and stayed with them until 2014.
During that period, Tennessee had some of its best and worst seasons, so needless to say, there are mixed opinions with Adidas. However, the Vols posted a 144-83 record during that time. In addition, they were back-to-back SEC Champions in 1997 and 1998, including a National Championship in 1998.
Tennessee’s success with Adidas started to come to an end around 2008. What was once considered a powerhouse program slowly began to dwindle into mediocrity. From 2008 to 2014, the Vols suffered one of their lowest points in the program’s history, finishing with a 40-47 record.
So, considering all of the ups and downs, what do Vols players and fans think of the possible change to Adidas? Unsurprisingly, many of them don’t seem pleased with the potential switch.
The Classic Era: 1997-2010

Many iconic Volunteers players donned these uniforms, including Peyton Manning, Arian Foster, and Eric Berry. During this period, Tennessee switched from orange outlines on its white uniforms to a black outline. This change was made so the numbers on their away jerseys would be easier to see during games.
Another element of these uniforms was their classic block-style numbers. Besides a few changes, like adding stripes to the pants and different logo patches, these uniforms have mostly remained the same.
During this time, Tennessee had several memorable moments, such as the 1998 BCS National Championship and their 2004 victory over the Florida Gators, which resulted in a game-winning field goal.
TECHFIT Era: 2010-2012

These uniforms are best known for Derek Dooley‘s time as Tennessee’s head coach. They were introduced in October 2010 against the Alabama Crimson Tide. These uniforms kept most of the traditional elements from the Vols’ previous uniforms; however, they were made of a new compression material created by Adidas called Adidas TECHFIT. Also, the jerseys briefly contained a large Power T logo above the collar.
One issue these uniforms struggled with was getting the correct shade of orange. When they were first introduced, the orange seemed to have an abnormal yellow tint. However, Adidas seemed to improve on the shade of orange in the following years.
Although these uniforms were unique, they are often associated with Tennessee’s downfall.
The Volunteers had a 14-17 record, including back-to-back 5-7 seasons in 2011 and 2012 while wearing the TECHFIT uniforms. Outside of some of the dynamic players who played during that time, such as Tyler Bray and Cordarrelle Patterson, these uniforms left a negative sentiment for Vols fans.
TECHFIT Redesign Era: 2013-2014
During this era, former Tennessee Head Coach Butch Jones introduced a radical redesign for Tennessee’s uniforms. Instead of the traditional solid orange home uniforms, the Vols added a detailed shoulder pattern.
In addition, Tennessee removed the black outlines on the numbers of their away uniforms. These numbers also contained a faint checkerboard design to resemble the Vols’ end zones. Also, these away jerseys had the word “Tennessee” above the numbers, which they had never done previously.
This was also the first introduction of the Smokey Grey uniforms. However, instead of having a grey helmet with an image of the Smoky Mountains like the current design, the Vols kept their traditional white helmets. Similar to the home uniforms, the Smokey Grey uniforms contained the same shoulder pattern.
The updated TECHFIT uniforms lasted only two seasons before Tennessee switched to Nike in 2015. During that time, the Vols finished with an 11-13 record, so once again, the TECHFIT jerseys were a reminder of Tennessee’s past struggles.
Other Uniforms

Besides the Smokey Grey jerseys mentioned earlier, Tennessee had three additional uniforms that stood out.
In 2002, the Volunteers unveiled a new uniform design with an orange panel on the pants. The jersey also included the same panel on the away jerseys, which connected to the stripe on the pants. However, the Vols switched back to their traditional uniforms in 2003.
In 2004, Tennessee revealed a new alternate away uniform with orange around the shoulder pads. This jersey was a tribute to the Vols’ away uniforms from the 1970s. The Volunteers wore the uniforms in their season opener against UNLV.
On October 31, 2009, the Vols wore black jerseys against the South Carolina Gamecocks. Initially, Tennessee wore its traditional orange jerseys and pants during warmups. However, the Vols returned to the locker room and switched to black jerseys in honor of Halloween.
