In an anticipated move, the NCAA Division I Cabinet voted to approve jersey patch sponsorships in college sports. The legislation is set to take effect Aug. 1, just in time for the 2026 college football season.
The move will add another revenue stream for schools with millions of dollars in sponsorship dollars on the way. A vote was delayed even though NCAA president Charlie Baker told reporters he expected one from the D1 Cabinet at the NCAA Convention Jan. 14. Baker notably credited Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark for his role in the discussions.
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Division I commissioners discussed jersey patches in Fall 2025 during meetings in Chicago, and the expectation was legislation could be on the way. The D-I administrative committee – now known as the D-I Cabinet – also introduced a proposal in October 2025 to pave the way for patches on uniforms.
“The committee’s introduction of this proposal demonstrates the continued efforts by the NCAA to modernize rules where appropriate within Division I,” said Illinois athletics director Josh Whitman, the chair of the committee, in a statement at the time. “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.”
Schools prepared for jersey patches
While awaiting a decision, some schools took proactive measures to prepare for approval. LSU notably inked a multi-million dollar jersey patch deal, and Clay Harris – the school’s deputy athletics director and chief revenue officer – told Front Office Sports it would include every sport.
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Additionally, UNLV landed a partnership with Acessio Biologics to place patches on jerseys across football, men’s basketball, women’s basketball and baseball over the next five seasons. Learfield facilitated that agreement, which also includes an Accessio Biologics logo on the Rebels’ football field this coming season.
Jersey patches are the latest new revenue stream to make their way to college sports. On-field and on-court logos arrived the last two seasons ahead of House v. NCAA settlement approval. That came last summer, ushering the revenue-sharing era in college athletics.
Schools across college sports have cashed in with on-field sponsorship opportunities. Data from Zoomph shows 67% of Power 4 programs and 46% of Group of 5 teams have field sponsors. Based on a 10-game sample size using AI detection, the logos were shown 167 times per game and have a brand value of $94 per 1,000 unique users.