Ohio State, JPMorganChase reach lucrative jersey patch deal

Ohio State has signed a corporate sponsorship with JPMorganChase worth nearly $17 million per year, per ESPN's reporting, marking one of the largest non-apparel corporate deals in college sports. The partnership includes jersey patches on all 36 of the university's varsity teams and NIL opportunities for student athletes.

The annual payout from the deal exceeds many NBA jersey patch sponsorships, according to ESPN's analysis, underscoring the commercial value of collegiate athletic branding in an era when uniform sponsorship has become a new revenue lever for programs.

Uniform patches in Division I were approved in January by NCAA leadership. Under the current rules, teams can place up to two patches of no more than 4 square inches on uniforms for regular-season games. The College Football Playoff has been exploring how to permit patches during postseason play as well.

Ohio State athletic director Ross Bjork announced the partnership, stating that JPMorganChase has "deep roots in Ohio" and that the deal "reflects the strong commercial strength of the Ohio State Athletics identity." The statement was made by the athletic department and has not been independently verified.

The brief does not specify the length of the sponsorship contract, how the $17 million annual payout is distributed between NIL opportunities and athletic department operations, or whether comparable corporate patch deals have been announced elsewhere in college sports.

What to watch next: whether other major college programs announce similar corporate patch sponsorships and whether the College Football Playoff approves patches for playoff and bowl games, potentially opening another revenue stream for programs competing in postseason play.