Top Tennessee football moments of the Nike era

The month of July marks the end of an era for Tennessee athletics, as the department is officially making the move back to Adidas apparel from Nike. Tennessee's new deal with Adidas is set to last 10 years and is reportedly a major pay bump from what the university received from Nike. It won't be the school's first go around with the three stripes, as Adidas was the Vols' official apparel partner from 1995-2015. Fans won't see the new Adidas looks until next week though, as the university will be releasing orange uniforms across sports on Monday, white uniforms on Tuesday, Summitt blue for women's sports next Wednesday, and black football uniforms next Thursday. "Smokey Grey" is also set to return with Adidas, but the look will be released at a later date. Between stints with Adidas, Tennessee's Pantone 151 orange featured a Nike swoosh on it, and the football program saw both remarkable highs and regrettable lows. In 11 seasons wearing Nike, the Vols went 83-55 (43-47 SEC) on the gridiron, though NCAA records only list the records as 72-55 (35-47 SEC) because of recruiting violations committed by former head coach Jeremy Pruitt. With the iconic swoosh heading out the door, here are some of the top moments for Tennessee football while donning the insignia. October 15, 2022: Tennessee 52, Alabama 49 One of the best college football games of all the 2020's decade thus far, 2022's edition of The Third Saturday in October will be a day most Tennessee fans will hold in high regard for a while. Ending a 15-year losing streak to the hands of the Crimson Tide, the Vols jumped out to a 28-10 lead over Alabama inside Neyland Stadium before falling behind 49-42 midway through the fourth quarter. Tennessee tied the game with under four minutes to go courtesy of a Hendon Hooker touchdown pass to Jalin Hyatt, who had a career game that afternoon. The wideout made six catches for 207 yards and five touchdowns. The Vols then capitalized on a late missed field goal by Alabama, with Hooker leading the offense 45 yards in just 15 seconds to set up Chase McGrath for a game-winning kick. Though it was a "knuckleball" as described by CBS broadcaster Brad Nessler, the 40-yard try found its way through the uprights for a Vols win. Later that night, those very uprights became submerged in the Tennessee River as UT found its way back to national prominence. November 30, 2024: Tennessee 36, Vanderbilt 23 This selection is less so about the game itself and more so in what the contest represents. In the regular season finale in Nashville, the Commodores put the Vols in a quick 14-0 hole after returning the opening kickoff for a touchdown and taking advantage of a short field following a Tennessee fumble. The Vols effectively took control of the contest from there, out-scoring Vandy 36-9 in the final 55 minutes of play. Quarterback Nico Iamaleava went 18-of-26 for 257 yards and four touchdowns through the air and Dylan Sampson ran it for another 178 yards. Tennessee moved to 10-2 with the rivalry win, marking the second time in a three-season stretch the program reached the 10-win plateau. The last time before 2022-24 that had happened was when the Vols went 10-3 in both 2003 and 2004. The win also allowed the Vols to make the College Football Playoff for the first time in program history. It was a run that ended poorly, though, as they fell to Ohio State in Columbus, 42-17. September 24, 2016: Tennessee 38, Florida 28 Another long streak that came to a close, the Vols ended an 11-game skid to the Gators that Saturday afternoon in Knoxville. Florida jumped all over the Vols early, grabbing a 21-0 lead to start the game. But a 28-yard field goal by Aaron Medley with 2:39 in the first half ultimately sparked a Tennessee avalanche. UT went on to score 38 unanswered points to beat Florida. Joshua Dobbs was the catalyst behind the comeback, throwing for 319 yards, running for another 80, and accounting for all five Tennessee touchdowns. Gators defensive back Quincy Wilson said before the game, "nobody has ever seen a duck pull a truck. Florida Gators are going to win, simple as that." However, the duck metaphorically pulled the truck that day. October 1, 2016: Tennessee 34, Georgia 31 The Vols weren't ready to slow down their comeback efforts the very next week in their first road game of the season. Tennessee went to Athens and fell behind 17-0 by the 2-minute mark of the first half, but battled its way back to take a 28-24 lead late in the fourth quarter due to a scoop-and-score by Corey Vereen. The Bulldogs seemingly came back to win the game themselves as a deep shot from Jacob Eason found an open Riley Ridley for a 47-yard touchdown with just 10 seconds left. However, a UGA penalty and solid kick return from Evan Berry gave UT one last gasp. Dobbs and the Vols took full advantage, winning the game with a 43-yard Hail Mary to Jauan Jennings, etching the contest into Tennessee football lore. September 10, 2016: Tennessee 45, Virginia Tech 24 For a season in which the Vols went just 9-4 and fell short of preseason expectations, the first half of the season provided plenty of memorable moments. Tennessee came into Week 2's Battle at Bristol following a tight win over Appalachian State to open the year in Neyland. The Vols and Hokies then played in front of the largest crowd to witness a college football game: 156,990 at Bristol Motor Speedway. UT started the evening slow, but posted 24 points in the second quarter to take control of the game and never let go. Tennessee ran for 239 yards as a team, with Dobbs running for 106 and a pair of scores. Jalen Reeves-Maybin was all over the field for the Vols' defense, registering 13 total tackles and 1.5 TFLs. Honorable Mentions: November 22, 2025: Tennessee 31, Florida 11December 30, 2022: Tennessee 31, Clemson 14 (Orange Bowl)October 19, 2024: Tennessee 24, Alabama 17