Patching into this new NCAA rule could make college teams millions

College sports uniforms are now for sale, a tiny piece of them anyway.

The NCAA Division I Cabinet approved a proposal Friday to allow Division I sports programs to place additional commercial logos or patches on uniforms, equipment and apparel. The new rule is scheduled to take effect Aug. 1 — just ahead of the 2026 football season.

Schools now have another revenue stream to tap for millions of dollars in sponsorships as they compete for players under new revenue-sharing rules.

“College sports are in an exciting new era of increased financial benefits for student-athletes, and the cabinet’s vote today reflects the ongoing commitment of Division I members to drive additional revenues and fully fund those benefits,” Josh Whitman, Illinois athletic director and cabinet chair, said in a statement.

“This also continues the NCAA’s efforts to expand flexibility in areas of NCAA rules, thereby allowing schools and conferences to set standards that reflect their values and serve their unique needs. This important policy change is another step forward in advancing that philosophy and providing members with increased flexibility.”

The policy allows up to two additional commercial logos on uniforms and apparel and one additional logo on equipment during the preseason and regular season, with an additional logo on uniforms and apparel for conference championships. The patches are to a maximum of 4 square inches per logo, according to the NCAA.

The cabinet also supported efforts to explore policies for teams to wear commercial patches during NCAA championships, in collaboration with NCAA corporate marketing and media rights partners.

Division I commissioners discussed permitting jersey patches last fall during meetings in Chicago and the cabinet introduced a proposal in October, per On3.com. Adoption of the policy was not unexpected, and some schools had already started preparing for it.

How much money could a jersey patch bring in?

LSU signed a multi-million dollar jersey patch deal last October, though it did not reveal the sponsor. The school said it would include every sport.

Also, UNLV partnered with Access Biologics on a five-year, $11 million deal to place patches on uniforms across football, men’s basketball, women’s basketball and baseball.

Commercial logos on sports uniforms are relatively new in the United States.

Major League Soccer was the first to embrace the practice in 2007, allowing teams to monetize the front of their jerseys. The league started allowing sleeve advertisements in 2020.

The NBA introduced sponsor patches for the 2017-18 season. The NHL added helmet ads in 2021 and jersey patches for the 2022-23 season. Major League Baseball started allowing patches on helmets and jerseys starting with the 2023 season.

Some pro sports teams, particularly in the NBA, make eight figures on their jersey patch deals. Sports Business Journal reported earlier this month that research shows college football and basketball teams could earn between $500,000 and $12 million for selling a piece of their uniforms to advertisers.