Should Vols Fans Worry About Adidas? Nebraska's New Uniforms Offer Clues

The Nebraska Cornhuskers football team unveiled its new adidas uniforms late Saturday night. It was probably best that the new uniform debut happen in the dark, as the new threads have been widely panned by Cornhuskers followers and college football fans alike.

Adidas has an infamous history of head-scratching uniforms in college football. After years of dreadful redesigns, adidas seemed to have finally found its footing in the sport.

However, Nebraska's uniform refresh is one of the most questionable decisions since the barbed wire-inspired TECHFIT era. It's so bad that the Tennessee Volunteers fans in Knoxville are worried about their new ten-year adidas contract taking effect on July 1, 2026. Should Vols fans worry?

Nebraska Cornhuskers New Uniforms

The future is now. pic.twitter.com/kzLmNwrJ5C
— Nebraska Football (@HuskerFootball) June 21, 2026

Nebraska unveiled its new uniforms at a Red Sea Rising Event in Lincoln, and fans who could not attend were treated to a splashy social media video and photo shoot. However, the vast majority of fans were perplexed as to why adidas made major changes to a classic look.

The most noticeable changes were made to the jerseys. The sleeve stripes got replaced by numbers, while the jersey patch was removed to make way for new shoulder stripes (that give major North Carolina State Wolfpack vibes).

The core of who we are.#GBR | https://t.co/o1TspfrWR6 pic.twitter.com/b53ePMJakk
— Nebraska Football (@HuskerFootball) June 21, 2026

Even worse, the traditional number font was replaced with a new font. According to the school, the jersey font is inspired by the numbers engraved on a steel anvil, and incorporates interior lines inspired by the crop rows that stretch across the state’s landscape.

Brandon Meier, Nebraska Senior Associate AD/Marketing and Multimedia, said adidas approached the school two years ago with updated uniform concepts to provide a modernized look. The athletic department seems pleased with the changes.

Tennessee Volunteers Fans Worry

Oh. Oh no. Nebraska….
These would be a decent alternate… but as the “core” home and road unis I just can’t get with it for the huskers. The texture in the numbers is neat, the shoulder stripes make no sense. The font is not great, the pant stripe is dated…. Man this is… https://t.co/bkUr5ueja2
— Chad Fields (Vols Uniform Boy) (@CfieldsVFL) June 21, 2026

Meanwhile, the countdown is on in Rocky Top. In less than two weeks, Tennessee will switch from Nike to adidas. We have already seen the new adidas practice jerseys and gear start arriving in Knoxville. Vols fans have been worried about the move since it was announced last year, and last night's announcement spiked anxiety levels.

Chad Fields, aka Vols Uniform Boy on X, has followed the transition closely and speaks for most Vols fans when he said the new uniforms were "concerning."

Should Vols fans be worried? Despite Nebraska's new uniforms being a disaster in rebranding, we remain bullish on Tennessee's upcoming uniforms. Below is our best guess of what will happen.

What We Expect From Adidas

Only 14 days until Tennessee Adidas pic.twitter.com/Arnh1r7Cqb
— UTK Aero (@MrChrisByrd) June 18, 2026

Adidas has two new major partnerships taking effect on July 1: Tennessee and Penn State. It is safe to assume that the Nittany Lions' new uniforms will undergo virtually no changes (except for a new adidas template).

So, adidas is unlikely to play it safe with another new NCAA partner school on the same day. Plus, Tennessee will be ready for a fresh look after 11 years with Nike. Our guess is that Tennessee's new football uniforms will see the return of black outlining around the jersey number font.

Tennessee’s Adidas practice jerseys have been leaked online 🍊

Multiple #Vols football members have shared pictures of the new Adidas practice uniforms ahead of summer practice.

WR Tyreek King and S Qua Moss both shared pictures via social media of the new threads on Wednesday,… pic.twitter.com/bjAerpRLhU
— FOX Sports Knoxville (@FOXSportsKnox) June 10, 2026

It will be interesting to see what happens with the jersey collar. The current adidas template across college football includes a school logo (for example, the Mississippi State Bulldogs). However, another SEC school, the Texas Longhorns (a Nike school), moved their SEC logo to the jersey collar to seemingly make room for a sponsorship patch.

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