PSU Football
News & Information
News—Sept. 4, 2025—updated
Adidas to replace Nike at Penn State?
On3 reported on Sept. 2, 2025, that Penn State University was considering a move to Adidas athletic gear after the Nike contract expires, possibly as early as 2026… Board of Trustees approval would be needed to make this happen (possibly as soon as September 11-12)… But, on Sept. 3, 247Sports and others, reported that PSU was simply putting out a “Request for Proposals” for future apparel deals which suggests the active Nike contract could run past 2026 (the exact expiration is not publicly known)…
Adding to the intrigue, On3 reported on Sept. 4th that PSU QB Drew Allar had signed an NIL deal with Nike… Generally, NIL deals are restricted to a single season, and this is Allar’s last year of eligibility, so this will probably not be an impact in anyway on Penn State’s future athletic apparel plans…
Reportedly, Adidas would boost NIL apparel deal options for student athletes at PSU making it a very attractive financial package in the current college money climate… Media reports indicate that Tennessee has already made this switch for similar reasons agreeing to a 10-year contract worth $100 million (and PSU would get similar deal plus the NIL incentives)… When current Penn State AD Pat Kraft was in the same role at Boston College, he made the switch to Adidas there…
Penn State football has been fully with Nike since 1993 when the company began to manufacture apparel in addition to shoes… The Nittany Lions officially began wearing Nike football jerseys in the 1994 season… The iconic Nike Swoosh first appeared on the front left shoulder (and sometimes top of the shoulder) of the jerseys made for use in the 1995 Rose Bowl Game… Previous football jerseys were Champion and Russell brands… PSU began to use the familiar Nike Swoosh footballs in 1997 and was one of the first major college football programs to do so (Wilson had been the prior maker of PSU footballs)… Penn State has been wearing Nike football cleats/shoes (and socks) since they were first available in 1983 replacing shoes made by Adidas and Spot Bilt… PSU’s relationship with Nike predates Michael Jordan’s legendary deal…
Longtime football fans will recall that the 1995 addition of the Nike swoosh logo to such a visible position on the jersey fronts was not well received by the faithful… Champion (used in the early 1990’s) and initial Nike jerseys had their logos “hidden” on the left sleeve either above or below the numbers while earlier Russell jerseys hid their logo patch at the waist, so it wasn’t seen unless the player was untucked…
