Ole Miss Athletics announced Oct. 7 that they have committed to a seven-year contract with Adidas worth $20 million per year. The Rebels are parting ways with Nike after 28 years in June 2027.
The Rebels will maintain creative control and hopefully retain a consistent look, with the logo being the only change. The trefoil and three-stripe pattern will likely continue to be displayed on uniforms.
“The two historic brands will unite for a transformative new partnership, prioritizing cutting-edge marketing opportunities for student-athletes and elevating fan traditions,” Ole Miss Athletics posted on X.
With the contract, Ole Miss would be among Adidas’ top four national collegiate brands alongside Tennessee, Penn State and Texas A&M. The University of Tennessee also recently made the switch from Nike to Adidas in July 2026 with a 10-year, $100 million deal.
Penn State’s Adidas partnership is a 10-year, $300 million deal that took effect on July 1, 2026. The Nittany Lions also transitioned out of a deal with Nike, ending a 30-year partnership.
Both Tennessee and Penn State’s partnerships with Adidas each feature an NIL ambassador program. Student-athletes across all varsity sports are eligible to participate in the program; participating student-athletes are able to earn direct commission through marketing and social media campaigns.
These NIL ambassador programs can also lead to multi-year professional endorsement contracts for athletes. Prominent alumni from these universities have pitched in to be a part of these programs and helped boost marketing; they have also pitched in to help fund the switch to Adidas.
Peyton Manning was featured in a launch video among several Adidas NIL ambassadors from Tennessee to officially announce the school’s transition. For Penn State, NFL stars and former Nittany Lions Micah Parsons and Abdul Carter announced the launch of Penn State’s deal with Adidas.
Adidas has significantly invested in Patrick Mahomes, an alumnus of Texas Tech. The Red Raiders are also an Adidas school and have an ambassador program named “Team Mahomes.”
Texas Tech also features special jerseys with Mahomes’ personal logo, rather than just the Adidas three-stripe logo. The co-branded jersey follows a similar model to the Nike-Jordan collaboration.
It will be interesting to see how Adidas interacts with Rebel athletes in potentially forming an ambassador program and to see if Adidas will choose to lead the campaign with former Ole Miss athletes.
Adidas is clearly interested in experimenting with branding in the new world of college athletics. The brand has shown its desire to grow the market and promote as many college athletes as possible.
Nike allowed only a select few to be a part of their representation program, “Nike Blue Ribbon Elite.” At Ole Miss, only Trinidad Chambliss and Kewan Lacy were a part of this initiative.
Alternatively, the Adidas NIL ambassador program allows all varsity student-athletes to participate. If Adidas chooses to implement that program at Ole Miss, it would give all athletes the access to platforms to promote themselves further in the constantly changing environment of marketing and branding.
Cooper Ferguson contributed reporting.
