“Oh, man, I cannot wait,” Marshall said of the athletic department’s impending switch in gear provider from Russell Athletic to Adidas. “I’ve been talking about it with all the guys. Everybody’s really excited about getting Adidas. What is it, July 1? It can’t get here fast enough.”

Russell has been a longtime supplier of gear and uniforms to Tech’s athletic department, but Adidas will take over July 1. The switch has been widely welcomed by both fans and Yellow Jackets athletes. Adidas has contracted with Tech to provide $3.05 million’s worth of gear compared with the $1.35 million in apparel that Russell is obligated to issue, although Russell does not supply cleats or shoes, as Adidas will.

The anticipated volume of gear particularly pleased Marshall.

“I know for me, especially going to class, I’m not a big ‘put on jeans’ type of guy,” he said. “I’ll just throw on some shorts or some sweats or something like that. So if Adidas is giving that out – ‘Hey, I’ll be wearing that to class every day.’”