As Tennessee officially launched its partnership with adidas on Thursday, a number of Vols athletes took part via social media. The posts were part of the NIL efforts involved in the agreement.
More than 40 Tennessee athletes participated as the school started its new apparel deal with adidas. UT is one of a number of notable brands to switch apparel brands this week, leaving Nike to return to adidas after more than a decade.
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Athletes across all 20 sports will have access to the NIL opportunities. A number of them also appeared in a launch video alongside Tennessee great Peyton Manning, as well. Here are some of the notable Vols and Lady Vols to help launch the adidas partnership with collaborated posts via Instagram on Thursday.
Kayin Lee
Defensive back
Football
Braylon Staley
Wide receiver
Football
Edwin Spillman
Linebacker
Football
De’Sean Bishop
Running back
Football
Juke Harris
Guard
Men’s Basketball
Tyler Lundblade
Guard
Men’s Basketball
Terrence Hill
Guard
Men’s Basketball
Naomi White
Guard
Women’s Basketball
Kaylene Smikle
Guard
Women’s Basketball
Sage Mardjetko
Pitcher
Softball
Elsa Morrison
Catcher
Softball
Stone Lawless
Catcher
Baseball
Levi Clark
UTL
Baseball
Blaine Brown
Outfielder/pitcher
Baseball
Cam Appenzeller
Pitcher
Baseball
Tennessee announced its agreement with adidas in August and On3’s Pete Nakos reported it has a “multi-million dollar” NIL component. In the announcement this week, UT said all Volunteers athletes will be eligible for adidas’ NIL Ambassador Program and “myriad” athletes have agreements in place with the Three Stripes.
Athletes from all 20 sports were also part of a launch video starring Manning, which dropped Thursday morning. Early next week, Tennessee will also begin to release uniform designs across different sports. They will be available for purchase beginning July 10 both online and at retail stores.
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“We appreciate adidas recognizing the power of the Tennessee brand and we are excited about the future of this transformative partnership,” said Tennessee football coach Josh Heupel in a statement. “Both current and future Vols will benefit from this historic deal.
“adidas is providing us with world-class resources and apparel that will continue to push our brand to the forefront of college football for years to come. We can’t wait to showcase our adidas uniforms this fall.”
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