When it comes to college football’s foray into corporate sponsorship logo patches, Notre Dame is following the herd — and might be setting a new record.On Tuesday, athletic director Pete Bevacqua announced a partnership with SoFi to put patches bearing the financial services company’s logo on Notre Dame jerseys, including the school’s football uniforms.The move will bring the school $18-20 million annually, according to a source briefed on the deal but not able to speak publicly about its details. It came hours after Ohio State announced a jersey patch partnership with Chase Bank worth $17 million, supplanting the Buckeyes as the largest known agreement of its kind in college sports.Teams can begin displaying up to two logo patches, no more than 4 square inches each, on uniforms starting Aug. 1, and one patch on equipment. An additional logo patch will be permitted during conference championships.
“SoFi shares in this commitment to developing strong, ambitious leaders who are set up for success at Notre Dame and beyond,” Bevacqua said in a statement. “Together, our relationship will create lasting value for our student-athletes and their families for generations to come.”Despite a university endowment of approximately $25 billion, Notre Dame athletics has come under financial strain, similar to that of other schools competing in the upper echelon of college sports.Bevacqua has recategorized Notre Dame’s programs between those striving for championships and those trying to be maintained. Football, men’s basketball and women’s basketball all fit into the former category, while many Olympic sports, including baseball and softball, have fallen into the latter.Combined with escalating costs driven by the increased flow of money to players — industry sources estimate Notre Dame’s 2026 football roster cost above $40 million to assemble — the jersey patch deal should provide some needed help.Notre Dame will begin the football season at Lambeau Field on Sept. 6 against Wisconsin, with SoFi and Under Armour patches on the front of its jerseys. However, the Irish will remain one of the few schools in the nation without their players’ names on the back of jerseys.
