In September, Yahoo! Sports’ Ross Dellenger reported that the NCAA is weighing a potential rule change that would permit corporate sponsors to pay schools for the right to display their logos on team uniforms. The move would represent a major shift in college athletics, opening the door for schools to generate additional revenue through on-field branding partnerships.
On Thursday, Front Office Sports revealed that LSU has already taken advantage of the anticipated rule change, finalizing a landmark sponsorship agreement ahead of its approval. “We have signed an agreement,” said LSU deputy athletic director and chief revenue officer Clay Harris, confirming that the deal will place the sponsor’s logo on every LSU uniform across all sports once the rule is officially enacted.
Harris has expressed confidence that the proposed NCAA rule change will be approved, paving the way for schools to feature sponsor logos on team uniforms. If that happens, LSU is poised to become the first program in the nation to take advantage of the new opportunity.
Harris declined to disclose which company partnered with LSU on the groundbreaking jersey patch deal but suggested that the financial terms are significant. According to him, the agreement could position LSU among the top professional sports franchises in terms of revenue generated from uniform sponsorships.
Currently, NCAA rules restrict college teams to displaying only the apparel manufacturer’s logo on their uniforms. This long-standing policy has limited schools’ ability to tap into lucrative branding opportunities that are commonplace in professional sports.
However, if the NCAA approves the proposed rule change, programs like LSU could add up to two additional commercial logos to their uniforms, as well as pregame and postgame apparel. The move would open a new frontier for revenue generation across college athletics, blurring the line between amateur and professional sports branding.
“The committee’s introduction of this proposal demonstrates the continued efforts by the NCAA to modernize rules where appropriate within Division I,” said Josh Whitman, athletic director at Illinois and chair of the committee. “As we move into a new era of Division I athletics, in which student-athletes can receive unprecedented financial benefits and support from their schools, it is appropriate for NCAA members to identify and consider additional opportunities for schools to generate additional revenue to fully support those benefits.”
A final decision on the proposed rule change is expected in January, when the NCAA’s governing body will officially vote on the measure. LSU, anticipating approval, has already begun planning for implementation. According to The Advocate, the school has evaluated potential logo placements across its various team uniforms to ensure a seamless integration once the rule takes effect.
“We’ve had jersey patches in bowl games,” SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said. “I would anticipate there’s going to be a continuing push (for new revenues), and we’re going to have to come to some agreement in this new environment on where those limits exist.”
As of now, the NFL remains one of the few major leagues that prohibits teams from selling sponsorship patches on uniforms, though that stance could evolve in the near future. Meanwhile, the NBA, MLB, and NHL already permit such deals, adding financial incentive and exposure for teams. With growing momentum across professional sports, the NCAA may soon follow suit.
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