Tennessee Vols athletic director Danny White won an impressive award, but he won't be able to enjoy it for long

It's an incredible honor for White, but he almost certainly doesn't have time to celebrate it right now. 

That's because White is in the midst of making a major decision that is going to be somewhat controversial. 

White has to decide whether to go with Nike or Adidas as the Vols' official apparel partner (Tennessee's deal with Nike expires after this year). 

The feeling is that Adidas is going to offer Tennessee more money. And money, in the NIL era, is as an important as ever for athletic departments. If Tennessee wants to keep being an "everything school", then they need as much cash as possible. In that sense, Adidas is the most logical choice. 

Nike, however, is the far more popular choice among fans and athletes. 

Numerous Tennessee football players have already made it clear that they prefer Nike. 

It's a tough spot for White. Does he go with the money, which would help Tennessee get the funds to keep being an "everything school", or does he stay with the popular choice in Nike? 

A decision is expected later this summer (likely in late June/early July). And until that decision is made, White is probably going to be spending most of his time stressing and agonizing over making the best choice for Tennessee. 

The good news for the Vols is that it's a decision that will be made by the best athletic director in the nation. So my best advice to fans would be to just accept and trust whatever decision White makes.