LSU to Sell Jersey Patch Advertisements

In the new world of NIL and revenue sharing, colleges are finding every way possible to bring in additional money to help keep up.

The latest attempt to do so by LSU is following in the footsteps of professional sports: Sponsored patches on its jerseys, according to The Advocate’s Wilson Alexander.

NEW: LSU plans to sell jersey patch advertisements, pending NCAA approval, @NOLAnews reportshttps://t.co/m9OUXZRIVe pic.twitter.com/LAHVhYPr8b

— On3 (@On3sports) July 2, 2025

“LSU has mapped out where the patches would go on every jersey, from cross country to football. Most of them would appear on the chest in purple and gold,” Alexander wrote.

This comes one year after Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin brought up the idea as a potential revenue stream, a topic that was also discussed by SEC commissioner Greg Sankey.

“We’ve had jersey patches in bowl games,” he said. “I would anticipate there’s going to be a continuing push (for new revenues). We’re going to have to come to some agreement in this new environment on where those limits exist.”

According to a report by Sportico in June 2024, the top patch valuation for a college football program is $6 million. For men’s college basketball, it’s $2.2 million.

The range for the upper tier of football programs is between $3.5 million and $6 million, with an average valuation of $4.6 million. For the top 10 men’s basketball programs, the range is from $754,000 to $2.2 million, with an average valuation of $1.2 million.

Among all 50 programs for both sports, the average valuations are $2.2 million for a football team and $590,000 for a men’s basketball team.

Notre Dame Lands Third 2026 Prospect with NFL Bloodlines

At some points in life, you have those “Wow, I’m getting old” moments. It happens far too often nowadays, and the last few days have been another example of that. This past week, Notre Dame football landed two 2026 recruits with NFL bloodlines, giving the Fighting Irish three commits in the cycle who are sons of former NFL stars:

• Three-star wide receiver Devin Fitzgerald, the son of Larry Fitzgerald
• Four-star wide receiver Kaydon Finley, the son of Jermichael Finley
• Four-star linebacker Thomas Davis Jr., the son of Thomas Davis Sr.

Notre Dames 2026 recruiting class now includes:

WR Devin Fitzgerald, son of Larry Fitzgerald.

OLB Thomas Davis Jr., son of Thomas Davis.

WR Kaydon Finley, son of Jermichael Finley.

@ByEliLederman pic.twitter.com/3cHdS3xCK5

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) July 6, 2025

Fitzgerald, Notre Dame’s latest commitment, explained that having a former NFL star as his father helps tremendously in the recruiting process.

“Having my dad there to help me throughout the recruiting process has been great,” he told ESPN. “He knows what’s important. You want to go somewhere you feel like you belong and where you fit in.”

Still mesmerized by how the 2026 Notre Dame wide receiver room will be home to the sons of Jerome Bettis, Plaxico Burress, Jermichael Finley and Larry Fitzgerald. 47 NFL seasons and 3 Super Bowls on the rsums of those four.

ND recruits NFL legacy prospects as well as anyone. pic.twitter.com/uCrACy6STg

— Tyler Horka (@tbhorka) July 6, 2025

Texas State Joins Pac-12

While conference realignment has slowed down quite a bit this offseason, the Pac-12 has continued to add universities to its conference after Oregon State and Washington State were the only two remaining in the conference last year.

Texas State officially joined the Pac-12 last Monday, becoming the league’s ninth member ahead of its relaunch in 2026.

“We are extremely excited to welcome Texas State as a foundational member of the new Pac-12,” commissioner Teresa Gould said in a statement. “It is a new day in college sports and the most opportune time to launch a new league that is positioned to succeed in today’s landscape with student-athletes in mind.”

Texas State will remain in the Sun Belt Conference through the 2025-26 athletic seasons before joining the Pac-12 in all sports for the 2026-27 school year.

The Bobcats will pay a $5 million buyout to the Sun Belt Conference.

ICYMI

Ohio State Tight End Bennett Christian Using Time at the “Very Bottom” to Inspire Others

Bennett Christian is drawing on his experiences at the “very bottom,” a year-long suspension in 2023, to play a leadership role in Ohio State’s crowded tight end room.

What to Know About Revenue Sharing, Ohio State’s Approach As New Era of College Sports Begins

As the new era of college sports officially begins, we take a look at how Ohio State is approaching revenue sharing, NIL, roster limits and its commitment to keeping 36 sports.

Ohio State Star Jeremiah Smith Vows to Beat Michigan the Rest of His College Career: “For The Next Two Years, I Promise You, I Will Not Lose to Them”

Jeremiah Smith says he hates Michigan and vows not to lose to the Wolverines the rest of his career: “For the next two years, I promise you, I will not lose to them.”

What’s Next

• 55 Days: Ohio State kicks off the 2025 football season against Texas
• 118 Days: Jim Knowles returns to Columbus
• 146 Days: The Game

On June 30, EA Sports announced that it is reviving its college basketball series, starting in 2028. While this year’s Kentucky team won’t be in the game, center Reece Potter didn’t mind daydreaming about what the Wildcats would look like if they were included.

“We’d definitely be one of those teams that you’d probably have to ban, I’m gonna be honest with you,” Potter said. “In (EA Sports) College Football (25), there was a couple schools, where everybody was like — ‘You can’t use those teams because they’re too good.’

“I feel like we’d definitely probably be one of them. We’re gonna have all 99s probably, definitely going to be on the X-list, ‘You can’t use Kentucky basketball versus me.’”

Potter transferred to Kentucky this offseason after spending two years at Miami (OH). Potter is a Bluegrass State native and went to Lexington Catholic Academy, which is just a few miles down the road from the University of Kentucky.

Potter averaged 6.5 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game last season while shooting 46.6% from the field and 36.7% from beyond the arc. Despite Potter’s successful campaign, he isn’t expected to see much action for the Wildcats this season.

Potter’s jokes about the team’s 99 ratings aside, Kentucky loaded up on legitimate talent this offseason. The Wildcats secured the No. 2 class in On3’s 2025 Team Transfer Portal Rankings.

The class includes standouts such as former All-ACC guard Jaland Lowe and projected 2026 lottery draft pick Jayden Quaintance. Moreover, Kentucky is returning a significant portion of its talent from last season.

The ‘Cats only lost two players to the transfer portal last season — neither of which were starters. In contrast, Kentucky is returning 2024 All-SEC Second-Team selection Otega Oweh, along with other contributors: Brandon Garrison, Collin Chandler and Trent Noah.

Kentucky is ranked No. 5 in On3 college basketball expert James Fletcher III’s “way-too-early” 2025-26 rankings. Additionally, the Wildcats are tied with Florida for the third-best odds to win the national championship next season. Simply put, Kentucky will be a handful for any opponent next season.

“We always say we’re the deepest team in the country, one through 15 guys, everybody can probably play anywhere in the country,” Potter said. “Every single day, it’s a challenge. Every single day, everybody is trying to bring it, fighting for spots. Our whole team can go… I feel like that’s what is gonna make us a national championship (team).”

Texas Tech commit Felix Ojo is one of the first big winners in the revenue-sharing world that has now begun in college sports. As part of his commitment to Texas Tech, the five-star offensive tackle recruit agreed to a three-year, $2.3 million revenue-sharing deal with the school, The Athletic reported.

Ojo’s deal is believed to be one of the largest revenue-sharing agreements between a school and a student-athlete since the approval of the House v. NCAA settlement in June, which allowed schools and student-athletes to agree to revenue-sharing deals starting on July 1. The deal will pay Ojo $775,000 per year, according to The Athletic.

When news first broke about Ojo’s commitment, his agent, Derrick Shelby of Prestige Management, told ESPN that the revenue-sharing deal he received was worth $5.1 million. While that figure isn’t fully guaranteed, Ojo’s revenue-sharing deal can climb to that number if there’s a large jump in the cap schools can spend on revenue-sharing deals with student-athletes, The Athletic added in its report. 

Entering the 2025-26 academic year, schools are allowed to spend roughly $20.5 million in revenue-sharing deals per year across all sponsored sports. However, that number is expected to increase on a yearly basis. 

Ojo can’t officially put pen to paper on his revenue-sharing agreement with Texas Tech just yet, though. Recruits can’t sign their revenue-sharing deals with schools until the signing period begins, which is Dec. 3 for FBS football. Student-athletes enrolled for the 2025-26 academic year could begin negotiating revenue-sharing deals with their current schools starting on July 1. 

Still, Ojo will likely become one of the richest players in college football, at least through revenue sharing, when he takes the field in 2026. To put his agreement in perspective, the total potential value of Ojo’s agreement ($5.1 million) would be equal to what a fourth-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft would make over the totality of their rookie deal, per Spotrac. Ojo could actually make more on a per-year basis than those players as well, as NFL rookie deals are four years long. 

“Football is a brutal sport, and athletes are not able to play professionally until their graduating class has been in college three years,” Shelby told ESPN of Ojo’s deal. “It was important to be able to secure Felix Ojo’s future and give him and his family some security as he continues to develop into a first-round NFL draft pick.”

Prior to landing Ojo in a rich revenue-sharing deal, Texas Tech has made major financial commitments in obtaining and securing student-athletes as of late in the name, image and likeness (NIL) era. Softball phenom NiJaree Canady has reportedly received two $1 million deals through Texas Tech’s NIL collective, reciting one to transfer from Stanford in 2024 and earning another to remain with the school in June. 

Basketball star JT Toppin also remained at Texas Tech following his All-American season in 2024-25 by reportedly signing a $3 million deal with the school’s NIL collective. That deal has made Toppin one of the most valuable players in all of college sports. 

Texas Tech’s JT Toppin has been one of the biggest beneficiaries in the school’s financial commitment to athletics. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)

That spending has also carried into the football program. The Red Raiders spent more than $10 million through their NIL collective to land 21 players in the transfer portal this offseason, according to The Athletic. Its transfer portal class ranked as the second-best this offseason, via 247 Sports. 

Ojo, who also had offers from and visited Michigan, Texas, Florida, Ohio State and others, headlines a 2026 recruiting class that currently ranks 26th in the nation, via 247 Sports. He’s currently 247 Sports’ fifth-best prospect in the Class of 2026 and is the best recruit the program has ever landed, according to the recruiting service. 

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