A pop-up shop in Pegula Ice Arena opened to the public Wednesday and was filled with Penn State merchandise that had a major change. Instead of the usual swoosh logo of Nike, the clothing all had the three stripes of adidas. The shop marked the beginning of the Nittany Lions’ apparel deal with adidas after being partners with Nike for 33 years.“Our whole crew has come out in droves and really spent a lot of time, about 11,000 hours, putting all of this together, and that is real math,” said Leah Beasley, Penn State’s Deputy Athletic Director for Strategic Engagement and Brand Advancement. “About 43 weeks in the making, and this team has put in a lot of hard work to make this happen all over campus.”The 10-year deal, which reportedly could be worth up to $300 million and was announced in September 2025, brings changes to Penn State’s athletic department as it enters a new era.Penn State feeling prioritizedQB1 \\\ @adidas pic.twitter.com/KLDJ27MUgS— Penn State Football (@PennStateFball) July 1, 2026Under the previous apparel deal, Penn State battled with other college brands like Oregon, Ohio State and Michigan for the spotlight of Nike schools. Now with adidas, the Nittany Lions are a priority. “When you bring a partner like Penn State into the fold, they're immediately one of our top partners within this space,” Chris McGuire, adidas Vice President of Sports Marketing for North America, said in an interview with Penn State on SI. “We are committed to investing with them and changing in the ever-changing landscape of the NCAA, as we are with a lot of our top-tier partners within this space.”McGuire said adidas has worked with colleges for over three decades and is “always investigating” new opportunities for the company. Not only did Penn State’s brand as an athletic department make it an appealing partner for adidas, but McGuire said what the Nittany Lions stand for was important, too.Beasley said that Penn State’s mission is to be “student-athlete centric,” and adidas has visited State College multiple times to meet with the athletic department, coaches and players to determine what matters most to the Nittany Lions. Adidas has “really come through” on that mission, according to Beasley.“Penn State is a pinnacle brand, and we know that we will be treated that way by adidas, and we have been with all the attention that they've been giving us,” Beasley said. “They're a global brand, a global partner, so it only makes sense for them to partner with Penn State, and we want to be at the forefront, and they are putting us at the forefront. They have treated us like the premier partner that we are.”Penn State's new football uniforms stay the sameSome things change.Some things never should.#WeAre \\\ @adidas pic.twitter.com/FBFV6hKCid— Penn State Football (@PennStateFball) July 1, 2026As a part of the pop-up shop, Penn State unveiled its new football uniforms featuring the adidas logo where the Nike swoosh once was. Aside from that change, the uniforms look the same, which is by design. “They have a rich heritage with that iconic jersey, and that’s something that we don't want to mess around with or get too crazy with,” McGuire said. “We'll always honor what the university wants to stand for.”McGuire said Penn State has the final approval on anything adidas designs for its teams. It’s a collaborative process between adidas and the Nittany Lions when creating new uniforms, allowing Penn State to have input.Depending on the sport, it can take adidas anywhere from six to 18 months to get a team outfitted for a season. McGuire said adidas had to “fast-track a lot of things” as the partnership got underway but ensured that athletes were comfortable in the products they were provided.“We're excited with the development and how all this stuff came together in such a short time period,” McGuire said. “Now that we're kind of ahead of that curve, we'll then begin to plan out. At this point, we're already starting to plan out 2028 and what the teams will look like on the fields of play then.”NIL opportunities for student-athletesTaking it to new heights. #WeAre \\\ @adidas pic.twitter.com/tE2Dmq41Mj— Penn State Athletics (@GoPSUsports) July 1, 2026McGuire called Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) the “new arms race” in college athletics. Through the new apparel deal with adidas, Penn State’s student-athletes will have new opportunities in adidas’ NIL Ambassador Network.“That's something we're very excited about,” McGuire said. “We want to make sure not only are they having a great experience on the field and playing for their university, but also having a great experience with the university's partners, in this case ourselves, to bring their stories to life and to help them learn how to market themselves and develop as individuals also outside of sport.”Penn State athletes can collaborate with adidas directly on specific initiatives and campaigns throughout the school year. Adidas will work with Penn State’s athletic department to feature certain student-athletes for these purposes.“There's nothing more authentic than having a student-athlete who loves the university and then can talk about it or be marketing that university to the fan base or to the general public,” McGuire said.What merchandise can fans expect?More scenes from inside Penn State’s pop-up sale for adidas merch https://t.co/P76kLygRGS pic.twitter.com/jm3vsvU3aY— Will Horstman (@WillHorstman_) July 1, 2026Penn State merchandise by adidas has been in the works since the fall of 2025. Adidas traditionally has nine months to create new designs for fans, and the pop-up shop in Pegula Ice Arena gave a first look at the new apparel.Beasley said fans will see an “adidas blitz” over the next few weeks to show the community that adidas is Penn State’s premier partner, and vice versa. The pop-up shop featured shirts, shorts, hats, football jerseys and more as the first wave of adidas merchandise.“There's a lot in this store today and across our community that you've never seen before,” Beasley said. “That's something that's really exciting because we want to give fans the seamless, traditional, classic look that they love with Penn State, and then we want to also give them stuff that they have never seen.”Beasley mentioned that more sideline products will be available for the public to purchase, and Penn State’s coaches will be wearing more innovative gear. Additionally, McGuire said adidas considers feedback from fans when designing new apparel to sell as its partnership with the Nittany Lions begins.“We take great pride in creating products that fanbases want to wear to celebrate the partnership in their university,” McGuire said. “We're always open to feedback and trying to find the next wave of products that will generate a lot of excitement around the school and our partnership.”Sign up to our free Penn State Nittany Lions newsletter and follow us on social media.Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow