Just over two weeks ago, we learned that the University of Utah and Under Armour were amicably parting ways at the end of their contract on June 30, 2027. As we expected, Utah Athletics has announced a partnership with adidas.The seven-year agreement makes adidas the official footwear, uniform, apparel, and sideline partner of the Utes beginning with the 2027-28 school year. The agreement is effective July 1, 2027. The financial terms of the agreement have not yet been reported.Overall, it is an upgrade for Utah — but not in every category. Below is a breakdown of what Utes fans should expect.Upgrade: FootwearThe adidas Anthony Edwards 2. | Cary Edmondson-Imagn ImagesLet's start with a fun and easy topic. The Utes' footwear is about to go off the charts. Under Armour basketball has lost Stephen Curry and Kelsey Plum in the past year — and neither of those two stars could make UA cool with the younger generation.On the basketball floor, expect to see adidas shoes from James Harden, Anthony Edwards, Donovan Mitchell, and more. Adidas Dugout (softball and baseball) and football cleats bring excitement with the Adizero line and collaborations with Edwards. Meanwhile, adidas running shoes are beyond reproach. As someone who has covered the footwear industry for years, this is a clear upgrade for Utah.Downgrade: UniformsThe Nebraska Cornhuskers recently debuted new adidas uniforms. | @HuskerFootballOne thing Under Armour does really well is design cool uniforms. Whether classic looks like the Notre Dame Fighting Irish or edgy aesthetics like the Maryland Terrapins, Under Armour does it right across all sports. Show me a bad Under Armour uniform, I'll wait.Meanwhile, you're playing with fire when it comes to adidas uniforms. They're coming off a couple of rough decades in college uniforms (remember the barbed wire look on the UCLA Bruins?). Just as I thought they started pulling it together with the Washington Huskies and sweet Texas A&M throwbacks, they unveiled new uniforms for the Nebraska Cornhuskers, which have been universally panned. It will be hard for adidas to top what Under Armour did for Utah's uniforms in the post-Nike era.Upgrade: NIL OpportunitiesThe Utah Utes will benefit from the adidas NIL program. | Jeff Blake-Imagn ImagesAs Utah Athletics mentioned in the press release, the NIL opportunities adidas brings to the school are a major selling point. Utah will be prioritizing high-impact NIL opportunities for student-athletes across all 19 of the university's varsity programs. NIL is the name of the game in the NCAA, and adidas is arguably the best at it.Downgrade: AttentionThe Utah Utes will become one of many adidas NCAA partner programs. | Kirby Lee-Imagn ImagesUtah went from being one of a handful of major Under Armour partner programs in the Power 5 (and the only Big 12 school) to one of 37 schools in the adidas portfolio. Moreover, adidas just signed the Tennessee Volunteers and Penn State Nittany Lions to massive contracts. Utah will not be as high a priority for adidas as it was for Under Armour.Stay locked into Sports Illustrated's Jerseys On SI for all your uniform news from the sports world and beyond.Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow