Lucas Panzica talks about recent reports surrounding Tennessee football, that suggest that the Vols could pivot away from Nike in 2026, and go back to Adidas for their uniforms.
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00:00There is some uncertainty on what kind of uniforms Tennessee Athletics will wear in 2026 and beyond,
00:06and it has sparked a pretty big debate amongst Vols fans.
00:09We'll fill you in in just a moment.
00:14Hey, Lucas Panzeca here from 104.5 The Zone and A to Z Sports.
00:18So reportedly, according to multiple outlets like Fox Sports Knoxville and Adam Sparks of Knox News,
00:23they have stated that Tennessee's contract currently with Nike is set to expire in June of 2026,
00:30and that from there, the Vols will be mulling other options in terms of brands looking to come in and take over Tennessee Athletics apparel.
00:38Now, in short, this does not mean that Tennessee is moving on from Nike in the 2026 football season and beyond.
00:45It simply means that there will be other suitors, other bidders for Tennessee apparel.
00:51Now, the Vols were in Adidas school for a very long time until about over a decade ago.
00:56In 2014, Tennessee made the switch to Nike.
00:59Now, I think most Tennessee fans agree that the switch to Nike came with an upgrade in the Vols' overall look,
01:06especially on the football field and when it came to alternate uniforms, the smoky grays, the dark mode uniforms.
01:12Nike overall did a better job with those than Adidas did.
01:16I think that's mostly the consensus, at least, among Vols fans.
01:20I will say, Tennessee won the national championship in 1998 wearing Adidas, but that's besides the point.
01:26What do you think about this?
01:27Nike or Adidas?
01:28Let us know in the comments.
01:30I will say, I don't think it's a debate that should be carrying as much oxygen as it is with Tennessee fans.
01:36I'm not surprised that it is.
01:37Tennessee fans care about the look of their football and basketball team when they take the field or the floor.
01:43But, I will say, in this era of college athletics, every penny, every bit of revenue for an athletic department,
01:50especially as we get closer to revenue sharing, is critical.
01:54And Tennessee may be faced with a decision that simply leans towards whatever funnels more money into the athletic department
02:01and gives them more resources to go win games.
02:04And the other thing, if Adidas is a higher bidder than Nike, it doesn't mean that Adidas will hijack all Tennessee apparel.
02:12The Vols have their own systems in place to have an impact and influence on what Tennessee's uniforms look like in the future.
02:20And, as most of these deals are, Nike, being the current rights holder for Tennessee apparel,
02:27will likely have the last opportunity to match or exceed any bids from other suitors.
02:32So, if you're worried that Tennessee is going to move away from Nike, you should not panic.
02:37Number one, Nike will have every chance to stick with the Vols.
02:40Number two, if it's not Nike moving forward after 2026,
02:44then it's probably because somebody else dropped a big old bag in the lap of Tennessee athletics.
02:49And that means more money, and that means more chances to get players in for Tennessee football and all other sports.
02:57So, don't fret, Vols fans.
02:58Hence, Tennessee's uniforms are not going in the gutter because the current contract with Nike expires in a little over a year from now.
03:07But, if you have an opinion, like I said, let us know in the comments.
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