Indiana’s new Merchants Bank jersey patch is about as painless as this kind of move can be.
That doesn’t make it fun. Ads are already everywhere in 2026, and the last thing anybody wants is one more logo creeping into the game-day experience. But college athletics has been drifting this way for a while, and jersey sponsorships were never going to stop at the NBA or soccer kits.
What makes Indiana’s deal stand out is how little it seems designed to shout. The Hoosiers expanded an existing partnership with Merchants Bank, which already had the naming rights to the field at Memorial Stadium, and turned it into a jersey patch agreement across all 24 varsity programs in the athletic department. The Merchants Bank logo will also show up on coaches’ apparel, with added exposure across Indiana’s venues, digital platforms, social media channels and more.
There’s a natural fit here, too. Merchants Bank is based in Indiana, and chairman Michael Petrie is an Indiana University alumnus. Indiana football coach Curt Cignetti and several athletes, including quarterback Josh Hoover, have already appeared in Merchants Bank ads since the start of the 2026 season.
The patch itself also looks built to avoid offending the eye. That matters.
A logo can either feel like it’s been shoved onto the uniform or like it belongs there just enough to keep you from staring at it. Indiana seems to have gone for the latter, with crimson on white lettering and imagery that blends into the jersey rather than screaming for attention.
That’s a sharp contrast with some of the more jarring examples around college sports. Wisconsin’s Culver’s patch pops in a way that’s hard to miss, and the Monster Energy logo next to the Big 12 logo has its own brand of chaos. Indiana’s version is much closer to the Ohio State-Chase setup, where the sponsor’s white treatment is designed to sit quietly alongside the rest of the uniform.
The other thing working in Indiana’s favor is familiarity. The program and Merchants Bank have worked together for years, so this doesn’t feel like some awkward new marriage forced together overnight. Once jersey patches became allowable, this had the look of an obvious next step.
Nobody is going to celebrate the arrival of another ad on a college uniform. Still, if the choice is between an intrusive eyesore and something that fades into the background, Indiana at least landed on the best case scenario.
In Other News...
Indiana Just Won A Huge NCAA Eligibility Fight For Now
A legal fight that has hovered over Indiana athletics took another turn this week when the Indiana Court of Appeals denied the NCAAs emergency motion to stay a preliminary injunction keeping three Hoosier athletes eligible to compete. Football players Stephen Daley and Kellan Wyatt, along with basketball player Sam Alexis, remain on the field and the court for now while the larger case works its way through the appeals process.
The ruling matters well beyond those three names, since 97 student-athletes in the case are covered by the same injunction. The NCAA had pressed for a stay, arguing that letting the athletes play would cause irreparable harm, but the court was not persuaded enough to grant it, leaving the association to keep fighting while Indianas players continue competing under the current order. [Read more 🡒]
Indiana Has A Chance To Shake Up The Big Ten Race
With the Big Ten race still looking far from settled, Indiana is suddenly part of one of the weekends most intriguing matchup discussions. Much of the national attention will be fixed on Oregons uncertainty at quarterback and how that shapes the larger conference picture, but the Hoosiers have their own path to altering the conversation if their defense can hold up against Ohio State and force the rest of the league to take notice.
The broader college football slate only adds to the stakes, with Ole Miss dealing with defensive issues and Missouri watching Austin Simmons closely in another game that could ripple into the rankings. There is also the ever-present backdrop of a possible 24-team College Football Playoff expansion, which figures to be a talking point all weekend long, but for Indiana the immediate focus is simpler: keep the pressure on in a race that still has room for a surprise contender. [Read more 🡒]
Indiana Is Turning Ohio State Gameday Into A Full Stadium Spectacle
Memorial Stadium is set up for much more than just a Noon ET kickoff against Ohio State. Long before the opening whistle, Indiana will be part of the FOX Big Noon Kickoff show, complete with giveaways and a fan pit, turning the pregame window into its own event for a crowd expecting a big-stage atmosphere.
The rest of the presentation is built to match it. Straight No Chaser is scheduled to perform during the Marching Hundred pregame show, IndyCar champion Alex Palou will drive Hoosier the Bison onto the field and help lead the I-U Chant, and the pageantry is expected to peak after the National Anthem with four Army Blackhawk helicopters overhead before rooftop fireworks cap the scene. Indiana has clearly planned for Saturday to feel bigger than a single game, even if the biggest moments are still waiting to unfold. [Read more 🡒]