The Gophers are still shopping for a jersey patch partner, but don’t expect a deal to land overnight.
Deputy athletics director Mike Wierzbicki said the athletic department has been talking with a range of businesses about putting commercial patches on uniforms and apparel, though nothing is close to being finalized. He said the U is aiming to have something in place for the 2026-27 athletic calendar.
“This (jersey patch) is an extremely valuable, high-profile asset,” Wierzbicki said. “Now, it is complicated, too.
These are not deals that get done overnight. It’s been really good conversations.
I’m optimistic that we’ll have some things in place for 2026-27 (athletic calendar).”
That said, the clock is ticking. The Gophers football team opens Sept. 3 against Eastern Illinois, and a patch deal may not be ready by then.
Minnesota has been exploring the market since January, when the NCAA approved up to two additional commercial patches on uniforms and apparel for all Division I teams. Each logo can be as large as four square inches. The NCAA also approved one more commercial logo on equipment during preseason and the regular season.
The push comes as schools look for new revenue streams to help offset the added cost of revenue sharing with players, which began last year. The U distributed $20.5 million during the 2025-26 academic year, and that helped produce a nearly $9 million budget deficit for the last fiscal year.
Wierzbicki said some current sponsors have shown interest in jersey patches, and the department is also reaching out to companies it has worked with before, companies it doesn’t work with now and companies it has never partnered with.
“We’re in active conversations with them,” Wierzbicki said, declining to name names.
He said the department has been weighing several different kinds of partnerships, from local to regional to national, with different goals depending on the brand.
“You’ve kind of got all these opportunities at your disposal,” Wierzbicki said. “It’s just navigating with a partner where their interest is regional, local, national, TV visibility, certain fanbase, male or female, a lot of different levers to pull there, which is great. It gives the opportunity.”
Around the Big Ten, the market is already moving. Four schools have announced jersey patch deals so far: Wisconsin, Michigan State, Illinois and Ohio State. That leaves 14 conference schools without patch partnerships heading into Big Ten football media days in Chicago from Tuesday through Thursday.
Ohio State, the conference’s biggest brand, announced Tuesday that JPMorganChase will partner with all 36 of its sports. ESPN reported the deal is worth nearly $17 million per year, calling it “an eye-popping number that’s expected to be an industry leader.”
Illinois announced Monday that Champaign-based Busey Bank will be the jersey patch partner for nine sports, including football and men’s basketball. Sports Business Journal reported the deal is worth $30 million over five years, or $6 million annually.
Michigan State announced in June a 10-year deal with MSU Federal Credit Union for all 23 varsity sports, worth approximately $40 million, or $4 million per year, according to multiple reports.
Wisconsin was first, unveiling a deal in April with UW Health for its women’s teams. The Badgers later said Culver’s will have a patch worn by its football, men’s basketball and men’s hockey teams, though terms have not been revealed.
The Gophers’ internal valuation appears to be in the same neighborhood as Illinois’ deal, though Wierzbicki said the final price can swing depending on how many sports are included and how visible the partner wants to be.
“Obviously, the price tag can change depending on how many sports, how high profile and what they’re looking at,” Wierzbicki said.
The Big XII also entered the space in June with a Monster Energy sponsorship reported at $20 million per year, or about $1 million per school. Front Office Sports said industry sources believed the deal may have undervalued the conference and could create problems for sport-specific assets down the line.
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