- Abdul Carter and Ali Krieger partnered with Adidas on a campaign film / brand ambassadors (tied to adidas' 10-year university apparel partnership) deal announced on July 1, 2026.
- Abdul Carter and Ali Krieger, both Penn State alumni and existing adidas partners, headline the campaign film alongside the Nittany Lion mascot.
- The deal includes new fan gear, a Pegula Ice Arena pop-up shop (July 1-2 and 8-12), and a Berkey Creamery flavor named "Three-Stripe Delight."
- The partnership prioritizes NIL agreements and marketing campaigns for Penn State's 800-plus student-athletes across all 31 varsity sports.
Adidas and Penn State kicked off their new decade-long partnership this week with a campaign film starring two of the university’s most recognizable alumni: NFL edge rusher Abdul Carter and U.S. Women’s National Team defender Ali Krieger.
The short film follows the Nittany Lion mascot around campus alongside Carter and Krieger as they debut the first wave of Adidas x Penn State gear.
The partnership, worth an estimated $300 million over 10 years, replaces Nike as Penn State’s official footwear, apparel, and sideline provider.
Adidas already had ties to the program through Carter and NFL star Micah Parsons, another Penn State football alum, along with Krieger and former volleyball standout Micha Hancock.
As Chad Johnson recently proved with his star-studded lineup in adidas Football’s “Speed Is Money” campaign, the brand has leaned hard into athlete-driven storytelling this year, a strategy also on display in its recent push with Fernando Mendoza.
Carter, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, has quickly become one of the Giants’ most marketable young stars. Krieger, a two-time World Cup champion and two-time Big Ten title winner at Penn State, brings a global soccer audience to the campaign.
Beyond the film, Adidas opened a pop-up shop at Pegula Ice Arena, offering exclusive merchandise from every Penn State sport, collectible gifts with purchase, and a championship trophy display featuring the 1982 and 1986 football title trophies.
A central piece of the deal is NIL: current Nittany Lion athletes are now eligible for Adidas’ NIL Ambassador Network, giving the university’s 800-plus athletes new brand opportunities across all 31 programs.
Takeaways
This isn’t just a jersey swap; it’s a signal that college athletics’ biggest apparel deals are now built around NIL infrastructure, not just uniforms. Adidas is using its alumni network (Carter, Krieger, Parsons, Hancock) as a bridge to sell the partnership’s long-term promise to current athletes.
How much of this $300 million deal is actually earmarked for direct athlete NIL payouts versus apparel and marketing? Could this alumni-ambassador model become the new template for other schools switching apparel brands? Will Carter’s rising NFL profile push Adidas toward a bigger, standalone campaign with him down the line?
