Tennessee didn’t mess with perfection for some its new Adidas jerseys, like football and men’s basketball, keeping the designs of classic Vols jerseys very similar to previous editions as the school unveiled new uniforms this week.
But Lady Vols basketball was undoubtedly the biggest winner of the switch from Nike back to Adidas. Tennessee is beginning a 10-year blockbuster contract with Adidas, which promises to make UT a flagship university for the brand and boost its NIL strategy. Tennessee was previously an Adidas school from 1995 to 2015.
Advertisement
The women’s basketball jerseys had the most significant changes to the overall designs.
The orange and white jerseys have Summitt Blue trim on the sleeves, collars and shorts, which was a common feature of the Lady Vols’ jerseys when Tennessee was previously an Adidas school. The blue trim is paired with orange on the white jerseys and white on the orange jerseys, and the tricolor design makes a massive difference aesthetically.
The jerseys also no longer have the checkerboard on the sides of the top and shorts, which always felt like a design choice generic to Tennessee rather than true interpretation of the Lady Vols brand. All three jerseys moved the last name plates below the number on the back of the jersey, too, which is an underrated update.
The white jerseys now have “Lady Vols” in orange across the chest in the iconic font from the Lady Volunteers logo instead of Tennessee, a touch that makes the clean, classic design sing.
Advertisement
The Summitt Blue alternate jerseys, which were unveiled July 8, were also a significant change.
The Adidas Summitt Blue jerseys have a little less orange and a bit more white, which does wonders to balance the blend of the bright orange and blue. There are now five stripes with all three colors down the sides rather than a thick orange stripe, which makes the design look less clunky than the Nike jerseys.
The Lady Vols across the chest is also now larger, while the number on the front is smaller, a subtle change that makes a noticeable difference. The trim being three thin stripes (orange, white, orange) is also a nice change.
Tennessee went simple and classic with the first Adidas jerseys for women’s basketball, and that was exactly what was needed. The Lady Vols basketball jerseys went from feeling like just another Tennessee jersey to an aesthetic that feels reminiscent of the program’s history and personal to the Lady Vols brand.
Advertisement
The return to a truer Lady Vols branding is perfect timing. The 2026-27 season marks the 50th anniversary since the Lady Volunteers brand was created along with Tennessee’s women’s athletic department in 1976-77.
Cora Hall is the University of Tennessee women’s athletics reporter for Knox News. Email: cora.hall@knoxnews.com; X: @corahalll; Bluesky: @corahall.bsky.social. Support strong local journalism and unlock premium perks:knoxnews.com/subscribe
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Why Lady Vols basketball was the biggest winner of return to Adidas jerseys
