All about the logo: Schools adding corporate gridiron ads to level revenue-sharing playing field

Key Points

• The University of Texas has added corporate logos to its football field, breaking tradition as the NCAA allows schools to incorporate commercial advertisements on the field.
• This trend of including logos is a response to financial pressures, as schools aim to enhance revenue streams for athletics amidst changes in NCAA regulations.
• Some schools, including Alabama and Penn State, have signed partnerships with corporations to feature logos on their fields, reflecting a broader shift in college sports sponsorships.
• While many schools are embracing this new advertising approach, Nebraska is cautiously waiting to evaluate market value before adding logos to its stadium.

The University of Texas broke tradition by adding corporate logos to its football field, a year after athletic director Chris Del Conte said he wasn't considering it.

The additions of Humann logos on the playing field was in large part due to the company's longtime ties to the university, but the revenue generated certainly won't hurt, even for one of the most profitable departments in college athletics.

“Revenue is a component, but we don't need it,” Del Conte said. The size of the deal, which is at least the sixth in the Southeastern Conference and involves all 20 Longhorns sports programs, was not disclosed.

Corporate logos on the field alongside school branding is a trend and an important one for schools hungry for money. It started last season after the NCAA voted to overturn a decades-old restriction on commercial sponsor advertisements on the field of play. Schools were clear to add corporate logos at the 50-yard line, with no more than two flanking advertisements elsewhere on the field.

The 2025 season has seen an uptick of corporate field logos after a multibillion-dollar lawsuit settlement allowed each school to share up to $20.5 million in revenue directly with its athletes this school year while doling out millions more in scholarships.

That has pushed schools to find additional revenue streams. The NCAA is considering allowing commercial logos on uniforms next year, but field logos have already taken hold across the country, including some of the largest, tradition-rich schools in college athletics.

Alabama partnered with the U.S. Navy’s Maritime Industrial Base program to add “Build Giants Alabama” logos on both 25-yard lines. Penn State added field logos in both end zones as part of a deal with Amica Mutual Insurance.

Oklahoma has logos for Riverwind Casino painted across the 25-yard lines, LSU added Venture Global logos at the 25s in Death Valley and South Carolina has logos for machinery company Blanchard Cat on the field at Williams-Brice Stadium.

Auburn used a partnership with timber company YellaWood to add field logos that also honor Hall of Fame coach Pat Dye. The logos at Jordan-Hare Stadium include the YellaWood logo with “Pat Dye Field” at the 25-yard lines.

“We couldn’t function in today’s climate without the quality of boosters and supporters that we have,” Auburn football coach Hugh Freeze said. “We’re blessed here at Auburn to have many great ones that have obviously stepped up and done new things that are a sign of the new climate.”

And it's not all big schools joining the logo trend.

Fresno State of the Mountain West Conference moved the green V logos, representing pride and connection to the San Joaquin Valley, to the end zones to make way for revenue-producing Table Mountain Casino logos at the 25-yard lines.

“This update isn’t about taking something away — it’s about finding every possible way to bring resources back into our program,” Fresno State athletic director Garrett Klassy said. “With the evolving landscape of college athletics, we have a responsibility to maximize every revenue stream available to us so we can continue to invest in our student-athletes, facilities and the future of Bulldog athletics.”

Nebraska athletic director Troy Dannen has opted to wait before adding corporate logos to Memorial Stadium because he might want to include it to sponsorships that would help fund a potential stadium renovation. He also wants to know the market value.

"If it’s worth $100, I don’t want to jump in and be the first one and get $50 for it," Dannen said. "We have enough brand value here that just because we might jump in late, we’re still going to get the $100 if that’s what it is, but maybe it’s worth $150 and we had it misread. Just seeing what the real market for it is is really why I’m waiting, but we’ve started actually doing a little more investigating into what it would be worth.”

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AP sports writers Eric Olson and Jim Vertuno contributed to this report.

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