College sports are a critical step closer to following their professional counterparts in arguably the worst possible way.
Continuing a potentially transcendent week in a transcendent decade in collegiate athletics, the NCAA Division I Administrative Committee on Wednesday pushed forward a plan that would allow universities and colleges of its member institutions to apply commercial advertising to their respective uniforms. Additionally, schools also could place one additional corporate logo/decal/advertisement on "equipment used by student-athletes." Think: football helmets. Lacrosse helmets. Baseball helmets. So on and so on.
Specifically, the NCAA DI Administrative Committee pushed forward a proposal that would allow its membership to place up to two commercial patches/logos/advertisements on uniforms, as well as pre- and post-game attire, for any regular-season or non-championship competition.
The NCAA revealed the measure late Wednesday afternoon, when it also announced the formal adoption of the newly expanded and shrunken NCAA Transfer Portal. The Portal Window for collegiate football now will span Jan. 2-16, 2026.
In its release announcing the potential landmark decision, the NCAA said, in part, the following:
The committee directed the playing rules committees and subcommittees to review the proposal and make sport-specific recommendations on national standards for placement of commercial logos.
"The committee's introduction of this proposal demonstrates the continued efforts by the NCAA to modernize rules where appropriate within Division I," Josh Whitman, chair of the D1 Administrative Committee and Illinois Athletics Director, said via statement. "As we move into a new era of Division I athletics, in which student-athletes can receive unprecedented financial benefits and support from their schools, it is appropriate for NCAA members to identify and consider additional opportunities for schools to generate additional revenue to fully support those benefits."
Whitman's statement strikes to the heart of this proposal.
In the all-new House Settlement era of revenue-sharing, where the dollars reach up to $20.5 million annually with built-in escalating increases as of Aug. 1, 2025, schools everywhere are seeking additional ways to maximize their revenues in direct correlation with maximizing the amounts that they legally can pay -- share revenue, that is -- with student-athletes of any sport a school chooses but most specifically football.
So, the University of Tennessee, for example, which under A.D. Danny White has implemented entertainment taxes atop ticket prices as well as all-new corporate sponsorships of both Neyland Stadium and Thompson-Boling Arena, a Pilot Travel Centers patch or Food City grocery stores logo might not be far off from the Vols' various men's and women's teams.
Or, Notre Dame -- which has almost no advertising anywhere within Notre Dame Stadium aside from Under Armour's logos -- could potentially elect to sell its coveted real estate. While that might seem farfetched, let's remember that this year, for the first time ever, Notre Dame enacted a measure that allows alcohol sales to the general public at football games and other events inside Notre Dame Stadium, as well as men's and women's basketball games at Purcell Pavillion.
Maybe the University of Kentucky, which years ago allowed Kroger grocery stores to purchase presenting name rights to football's Commonwealth Stadium, could place a grocery cart patch on its Big Blue uniforms.
YellaWood patches for Auburn?
Gold Digger costume jewelry patches for the University of North Carolina Tar Heels? OK, that's an admittedly horrible example.
This measure would not be enacted until Aug. 1, 2026, if formally adopted, and only Jordon Hudson knows if Bill Belichick, aka 'Chapel Bill,' even still will be the Top Tar Heel at that time. (Hint: He won't."
The full NCAA release is available here: NCAA moves to allow corporate logos/patches on college uniforms.