Penn State makes move from NIKE to adidas official; when does the deal officially start?
Penn State is officially severing its four-decade tie with NIKE. On Friday, the school announced that it is switching its apparel partnership to adidas. It ends a relationship that started in 1993 and continues through the 2025-2026 school year, when the most recent contract between NIKE and PSU ends. The new deal with adidas will start just before the 2026-2027 school year on July 1, 2026.
On3’s Brett McMurphy first reported that the change was coming back on Tuesday. Full terms of the new agreement were not disclosed. But, it is a 10-year deal. It’s the latest big move made by third-year Penn State athletic director Pat Kraft. He is also overseeing a massive renovation of Beaver Stadium, of course, among many other things. This is also the second time he has steered a department toward adidas. He also did so back at Boston College in 2021, roughly a year before he took his current job with the Lions.
“This is an exciting partnership with adidas and one that will truly benefit our student-athletes,” Kraft said in a news release back then. “In choosing adidas, we were able to join forces with a global brand that is one of the leaders in football footwear, apparel and accessories. Our student-athletes will be outfitted with more footwear and apparel than ever before with this new partnership.”
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The Lions join Tennessee in inking a new big-money deal with adidas. On3’s Pete Nakos reports it will have positive name, image, and likeness ramifications for the Volunteers. The same is expected for Penn State.
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“They have an entire division focused on NIL. They have student-athletes from all over the country, some of which compete for our teams right now, who are signed up with their NIL program. So there are a lot of reasons why we feel like they’re the best partner for us as we march into the modern era of college sports,” Tennessee athletic director Danny White recently told Volquest of adidas’ NIL efforts.
Blue-White Illustrated will have more coverage of Penn State’s switch to adidas from NIKE throughout the morning. Many details will be forthcoming. But, don’t expect James Franklin to have much to say on the matter when he speaks next on Saturday. Asked if he cared about the reports that are now confirmed following practice on Wednesday, he said he did not.
“That’s something that the administration is working on,” he said. “I mean, obviously, I have an awareness of what’s going on, but we’re focused on our opponent for Saturday.”
