1. Nike comes to Tennessee
The biggest headline heading into 2015 and the one that dominated most of the summer this year was the arrival of Nike to Tennessee, something Vol fans had been longing for for years.
Tennessee and Nike agreed to a deal in 2014, and the beginning of 2015 was the last time the Vols would be seen in Adidas gear again. Nike held a “fashion show” in the middle of the summer to debut the new threads for all of Tennessee’s sports teams, and fans were largely impressed by what they saw.
Football and basketball were the main focus, and most fans liked the subtle touches Nike did with the traditional uniforms. The alternate Smokey Gray uniforms, however, received most of the buzz as expected. The football team wore their new alternates in the win against Georgia this year, but the basketball team has yet to don the new jerseys. Responses to the Smokey Gray football uniforms were mixed but largely positive with the dark helmet with the Smoky Mountains outlined on the back receiving the best reactions.
There will likely be more alternate uniforms on the horizon from Nike and plenty more marketing campaigns in 2016, but 2015 was all about Nike welcoming the Vols into the fold.
