On-field sponsorships could help athletic departments net $2-$6M “annually from advertisements,” with Major Power 4 college football programs potentially seeing deals “north of” $8-$10M annually, according to sources cited by Pete Nakos of ON3. Learfield President & CEO Cole Gahagan said, “If we use stadium naming rights as a proxy for this next horizon of opportunities for our schools, what the data tells us is that in the majority of cases, those are local or regional brands that want to be a part of these big-time sponsorships.” Gahagan also “echoed" what multiple sources have said: “Brands who want to spend marketing dollars through on-field sponsorships could incorporate NIL deals into their plans.” The NCAA “only just permitted on-field sponsorships,” but the “expectation is jersey patches are not far off from being approved in the next couple of seasons.” Sources said that the patches are a “more lucrative property than on-field sponsorships.” Nakos reported that ADs and multimedia rights holders are “also evaluating the possibility of on-field sponsorships on a game-by-game basis.” For major college football brands who play in primetime, for example, dynamic pricing “could be an option” (ON3, 6/24).
