In January, the NCAA approved a proposal allowing Division I sports programs to sell ad space on uniforms, equipment, and apparel for any non-championship competitions. As college football kickoff nears, partnerships are forming at an increasingly rapid clip.
Notre Dame’s just-announced $20 million per year partnership with SoFi is the largest deal to date, though a majority are valued in the low single-million range.
Across deals, a few key trends have emerged:
- Most patch partners have regional or personal ties to schools, or pre-existing partner relationships.
- Patch sponsorships encompassing all available sports (versus individual ones) are the most popular format—for now.
- Many schools and brands are tacking broad add-ons to their arrangements, like providing “additional NIL opportunities” or establishing “student-athlete funds.”
Front Office Sports is tracking all jersey patch deals, broken down by conference.
Big Ten
Ohio State and JPMorganChase: Worth a reported $17 million per year, the agreement makes Chase Bank the official jersey patch partner for all 36 of Ohio State’s men’s and women’s athletic programs. In a statement to FOS, an Ohio State spokesperson said the deal, which also includes new NIL opportunities, “matches the size and strength of the Ohio State brand and the size and strength of JPMorganChase.”
Illinois and Busey Bank: After reaching a five-year, $30 million agreement with Illinois, Busey Bank will see its logo on the jerseys of the following Fighting Illini teams: football, men’s and women’s basketball, volleyball, baseball, softball, soccer, and men’s and women’s golf. Busey Bank branding will also appear on apparel worn by prominent Illinois coaches, including football coach Bret Bielema.
Michigan State and MSU Federal Credit Union (MSUFCU): All 23 of Michigan State’s varsity teams will wear an MSUFCU logo patch for the next 10 years, in what is believed to be the longest-tenured deal to date. The Detroit News reported that the deal is valued “in the range of $40 million total.” MSUFCU was founded by Michigan State faculty and staff in 1937.
Wisconsin and Culver’s: Culver’s will have its logo on the jerseys of the Badger football, men’s basketball, and men’s hockey teams this year. The deal’s value hasn’t been made public, but the school said it will also create new NIL and “unique content creation” opportunities. The Wisconsin-based fast food chain is already the on-court logo partner for the school’s Kohl Center, where basketball and hockey are played. Online, some fans expressed displeasure at the stark contrast between Culver’s bright blue logo and Wisconsin’s bright red jerseys.
SEC
Arkansas and Tyson Foods: As part of this multi-year jersey patch agreement—which includes placement on the uniforms of all 19 men’s and women’s varsity Razorback teams—the Arkansas-based food production giant will also serve as the school’s “official protein partner.” While the deal’s terms have not been made public, Tyson Foods chairman John Tyson refuted reports of a $100 million valuation earlier this year.
LSU and Woodside Energy: First reported by FOS in 2025, before patch deals were even approved by the NCAA, this multi-year, multimillion dollar pairing was made official in February, making it the first major deal of the jersey patch era. Woodside Energy’s logo will feature on the uniforms of all 21 LSU athletic programs.
ACC
Cal and Dialpad: All 30 Cal programs will wear the logo of Dialpad, an AI platform for customer experience, this upcoming season. Dialpad was also named the Official AI Platform for Fan Experience of Cal Athletics in what the university described as “the largest corporate partnership” in its history, although the value of the deal was not disclosed.
Big 12
BYU and Entrata: For now, this multi-year jersey patch partnership is football-only. Entrata is a property management software company that was founded by BYU students in 2003. As part of the deal, the company will “collaborate with BYU Athletics on community initiatives” and “create opportunities for student-athletes to engage in meaningful service.” Financial terms are not currently available.
Oklahoma State and Osage Nation: For an undisclosed fee, the tribe, which operates a casino and hotel minutes from Oklahoma State’s campus, will see its logo on all of the school’s uniforms over the next three years.
Kansas and Ripple: Ripple is a digital finance company founded by a University of Kansas alum. A logo for Ripple’s cryptocurrency, XRP, will feature on all Jayhawk jerseys as part of its five-year agreement with the school, the value of which has not been made public.
Independent
Notre Dame and SoFi: The banking institution and fintech company, which also has naming rights to L.A.’s professional football stadium through 2039, will reportedly pay Notre Dame $18-20 million annually in exchange for logo placement on all Fighting Irish uniforms for the next six years. The agreement is the largest known college sports jersey patch deal; it will also see SoFi establish an annual fund “to further Notre Dame’s ‘4 for Forever’ promise, which will support all student-athletes through scholarships, financial education, career development and exclusive opportunities.”
Conference-Wide Agreements
Big 12 and Monster Energy: In a first-of-its-kind partnership, Monster Energy is paying the Big 12 $20 million per year in exchange for its logo to appear on the football and men’s and women’s basketball jerseys of all competing schools. Additionally, the Big 12 football and men’s and women’s basketball regular seasons will be referred to as “Monster Energy Big 12 Football” and “Monster Energy Big 12 Basketball,” respectively. Monster Energy logos will also appear on Big 12 basketball courts.
Many critics of the deal said its $20 million price tag vastly undervalued the assets in a play for a full conference, which appears to be validated as individual schools like Ohio State and Notre Dame pull in similar figures for their patch partnerships.
