Penn State has officially ended its 33-year partnership with Nike and begun a new one with Adidas. The switch, which was finalized in June 2025, came with a reported $300 million offer across 10 years. The university’s athletic department had to be reoutfitted, with all 31 teams needing new uniforms, practice gear, and equipment.

The Switch

The process of switching from Nike to Adidas was a massive undertaking, with over 250 staffers spending 11,000 hours in meetings, photo shoots, and sessions with internal groups, individual teams, Adidas partners, and campus stakeholders. The university estimates that over 150,000 pieces of athletic gear had to be sorted and distributed across campus in less than a month.

The old Nike gear was sold off in surplus sales, with fans able to purchase items such as cleats, polos, and football jerseys at discounted prices. The university also had to remove all Nike branding from campus, including signage and murals, and replace it with Adidas branding.

Challenges

The switch was not without its challenges, with the university facing a tight deadline to get everything ready for the new academic year. The athletic department had to learn about Adidas’ products and associate them with the needs of the athletes and coaches. The university also had to convince athletes and coaches that the new gear would be just as good as the old Nike gear.

Original reporting: KRDO (Colorado Springs metro) — read the source article.