The Ohio State Buckeyes have agreed to a historic jersey patch sponsorship with JPMorgan Chase, which will be the biggest in the industry according to a story from On3.
Spanning the entire athletic department and all 36 varsity sports, a Chase patch on all Buckeye jerseys is expected to pay the University more than $15 million per season, directly impacting the funding of their NIL collective.
NEW: Ohio State athletics has signed a jersey patch sponsorship deal with JPMorgan Chase, @PeteNakos reports🌰https://t.co/O74SgBww2i pic.twitter.com/ussMJlDIVV
— On3 (@On3) July 28, 2026
JPMorgan Chase has some direct ties to Ohio and according to On3, has hired on more than 1,700 Ohio State alumni in just the past five years alone.
“JPMorganChase is a global brand with deep roots in Ohio, making them a natural partner that shares our commitment to innovation, excellence and long-term community impact,” Ohio State athletic director Ross Bjork said in a statement.
“Together, we have built a comprehensive and historic partnership that reflects the strong commercial strength of the Ohio State Athletics identity and the broader college athletics landscape. This relationship creates meaningful opportunities for our student-athletes that support the sustained excellence and competitiveness of our athletic programs, while honoring the tradition and values of Ohio State.”
While Ohio State is not the first school to put a company’s logo on their jersey, they certainly are the most notable to date. It begs the question when this could become massively adopted in the SEC and in the state of Alabama.
This offseason, both Arkansas and LSU have agreed to jersey patch sponsorships, as well as LSU signing on with Woodside Energy back in February and Arkansas with Tyson Foods. While the specific terms of both agreements have not been made public, it’s safe to say that millions of dollars annually are going to be added to their NIL funds.
The discussion is certainly a double-edged sword as teams want to do whatever they can for a financial advantage in this era of college sports, but it’s also robbing college athletics of the purity that made them great in the past.
Teams must adapt to this new era or be left behind, so don’t be surprised if Alabama is putting a logo on the iconic Crimson Tide jerseys in the near future.
Michael Brauner is a Senior Sports Analyst and Contributing Writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @MBraunerWNSP and hear him every weekday morning from 6 to 9 a.m. on “The Opening Kickoff” on WNSP-FM 105.5, available free online.

