Tennessee is returning to its roots with move from Nike to Adidas

The move is official: Tennessee will no longer be a Nike school in the near future and will return to Adidas, which will be the official apparel provider for the Vols at the end of the current Nike contract. 

Tennessee was an Adidas school for nearly 20 years, from 1995 to 2014, before making the switch to Nike. While the Vols left the three-stripe brand for greener pastures, the Vols will officially return to Adidas when its current Nike deal ends in 2026. 

ESPN's Chris Low confirmed the long-anticipated return to Adidas, sharing that after 12 years, the Vols will move back with Adidas.

There have been criticisms of the potential move leading up to the decision, including my own, regarding the mismatched orange on jerseys and other disasters that occurred toward the end of the Adidas era. 

Over the past 12 years, Adidas has drastically improved its uniforms. Even over the past four years, Adidas uniforms have noticeably improved across multiple sports. 

Adidas has become a respectable brand over the past decade. Apparel may be another issue, but at least Tennessee will have matching shades of orange when they take the field. 

The option for black and smokey grey uniforms should still be on the table for the alternate uniform crowd. Tennessee is expected to have full control over its uniform designs, preventing any issues it had in the past. 

The deal is also supposed to be significantly better than the Nike deal, positioning the Vols as a premier brand for Adidas, rather than just another school for Nike. 

We will see how things start in less than a year once the Nike contract expires and Tennessee prepares for a new era under Danny White's leadership.