Beginning next summer, the most famous stripe in college football will be Team Three Stripes.
Penn State announced Friday a "transformational" 10-year partnership with Adidas, beginning July 1, 2026. The move follows Adidas's similar deal with Tennessee struck last month, and also South Carolina leaving Under Armour for Nike. A number of other legacy brands are up for renewal in the not-too-distant future, and all of them will be looking for deals like Tennessee, Penn State and South Carolina (but richer).
Moving forward, Penn State doesn't want Adidas to just put its athletes in their gear, it also wants Nittany Lions in their commercials and Adidas's cash in their athletes' checking accounts.
“From the field to the court, the mat to the pitch, this partnership goes far beyond uniforms, it is unlike anything else in the marketplace. adidas is making an unprecedented commitment to Penn State: delivering record investment in our department, groundbreaking NIL and marketing opportunities, and access to technology and innovation that no other program can match," AD Pat Kraft said.
“We are excited to partner with Penn State to equip all 800-plus Nittany Lion student-athletes with top-of-the-line products and industry-leading NIL opportunities. They'll join adidas' robust roster of athlete partners, including Penn State alums Micah Parsons and Abdul Carter, who've seen firsthand our commitment to realizing their aspirations both on and off the field,” said Adidas VP Chris McGuire.
Similar to Texas Tech and Patrick Mahomes, and South Carolina and A'ja Wilson, Penn State is leaning on its former stars to make the deal happen. "This partnership is about refusing to settle for anything less than the best for my fellow Nittany Lions — I can’t wait to watch us dominate in the Three Stripes,” said Penn State alum and the newest, richest Green Bay Packer Micah Parsons.
No financial figures were disclosed, but the key passage in the press release lies here: Once the partnership begins, all 800-plus Penn State student-athletes will be eligible to participate in adidas’ wide-ranging NIL Ambassador Network, which gives all student-athletes at adidas-partnered Division I schools the chance to benefit from their Name, Image and Likeness.
While all 800 Nittany Lions will be eligible to participate in the company's "wide-ranging NIL Ambassador Network," the assumption here is that a handful per year will appear in enough wide-ranging marketing campaigns to earning a meaningful amount of money. Really, the true number Penn State may be looking for is one. If the Nittany Lions and the Three Stripes can combine to get the next Micah Parsons and the next Abdul Carter in their gear, this arrangement likely pays for itself on both sides.