Ole Miss is reported to be leaving Nike for Adidas: seven years, more than $20 million annually, July 2027 through 2034, covering every sport. The reporting is On3's Brett McMurphy and Pete Nakos and Fox Sports' Ben Portnoy, confirmed separately by the Clarion Ledger and the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal. For scale: in a 2016 Saturday Down South survey of 12 SEC apparel deals, Ole Miss ranked last at $2.05 million a year. The reported new figure is roughly ten times that. And Fox Sports reports Adidas's NIL commitment is about ten times what Nike was providing — which is roster money, not a marketing line. Athletic director Keith Carter said in August, before any of this leaked, that Ole Miss had "a stronger brand going into those negotiations than we did in the past." That brand was built on football. Segment two: in July, Nike signed Trinidad Chambliss and Kewan Lacy to individual NIL deals (The Rebel Walk and HottyToddy, July 16). If the reporting holds, Ole Miss's 2027 starting backfield is under contract to the brand the school is leaving — and nobody has reported how that resolves. The honest counterweight: nothing is official. Ole Miss, Adidas and Nike have all said nothing. Individual endorsements and school apparel contracts are different instruments, no term lengths were disclosed, and both player deals may simply expire. Does the Nike conflict actually matter? Tell me in the comments. Locked On Ole Miss Hits — quick takes on the Rebels every weekday. Subscribe and hit the bell. Hotty Toddy. #OleMiss #HottyToddy #Adidas #NIL #OleMissFootball #SECFootball #RebelNation
Ole Miss is reported to be leaving Nike for Adidas: seven years, more than $20 million annually, July 2027 through 2034, covering every sport. The reporting is On3's Brett McMurphy and Pete Nakos and Fox Sports' Ben Portnoy, confirmed separately by the Clarion Ledger and the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal.
For scale: in a 2016 Saturday Down South survey of 12 SEC apparel deals, Ole Miss ranked last at $2.05 million a year. The reported new figure is roughly ten times that. And Fox Sports reports Adidas's NIL commitment is about ten times what Nike was providing — which is roster money, not a marketing line.
Athletic director Keith Carter said in August, before any of this leaked, that Ole Miss had "a stronger brand going into those negotiations than we did in the past." That brand was built on football.
Segment two: in July, Nike signed Trinidad Chambliss and Kewan Lacy to individual NIL deals (The Rebel Walk and HottyToddy, July 16). If the reporting holds, Ole Miss's 2027 starting backfield is under contract to the brand the school is leaving — and nobody has reported how that resolves.
The honest counterweight: nothing is official. Ole Miss, Adidas and Nike have all said nothing. Individual endorsements and school apparel contracts are different instruments, no term lengths were disclosed, and both player deals may simply expire.
Does the Nike conflict actually matter? Tell me in the comments.
Locked On Ole Miss Hits — quick takes on the Rebels every weekday. Subscribe and hit the bell. Hotty Toddy.
#OleMiss #HottyToddy #Adidas #NIL #OleMissFootball #SECFootball #RebelNation