Report: NCAA Considering Rule Change to Allow On-Field Corporate Sponsorship Logos

The NCAA is reportedly considering a rule change that would allow schools to display corporate logos on their football fields and potentially even corporate patches on uniforms in the future, according to Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports.

"I believe the NCAA is going to allow us to put a sponsor logo on the field during the regular season," Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin told Dellenger. "That's an obvious revenue stream that has not been there in the past. Pro sports are putting patches on jerseys. That doesn't seem like something that's crazy for us to consider these days."

Dellenger did add that "jersey patches are seen as a much more difficult obstacle in the approval process than on-field logos, which many SEC administrators have been exploring for months and believe will be approved."

Per his report, schools are examining additional revenue streams after the NCAA's proposed $2.7 billion settlement to end three antitrust lawsuits against them, which will allow Power 5 schools to directly pay players out of a revenue-sharing pool over a 10-year period. Each school will be able to pay out around $20 million per year, though that figure is based on a percentage of the average conference's revenues and will rise as overall revenues go up.

The terms of that settlement still need to be approved by players and the court.

Currently, the NCAA limits on-field corporate logos to those that hold a field or stadium's naming rights. The expected change would allow schools to display such logos in three ways, per Dellenger: "at midfield; at one 25-yard line; and at the other 25-yard line."

SEC schools are expected to pull in around $1 million per year on 25-yard-line logos, according to that report, while future jersey patches could fetch $5 million or more per season if approved down the line.

Another revenue booster for the SEC could be the addition of a ninth conference game to the football schedule, which could bring in another $3.5 million or so per season. Such a move wouldn't come until 2026 at the earliest.

The playing rules oversight committee, which is expected to rule on the possible change at its June 6 meeting, would also oversee any possible future changes to corporate logos on uniforms. And change appears to be in the air.

"I grew up in Syracuse, New York, so I was accustomed to the Carrier Dome, which is now the JMA Wireless Dome," SEC commissioner Greg Sankey told Dellenger. "So this is not new within the college sports enterprise. We've had clear lines, so it hasn't been appearing on the field. I would anticipate there's going to be a continuing push of those limits."