West Virginia’s uniforms are about to pick up a new look, and it comes straight from a major Big 12 business move.
When the Mountaineers open the season at Milan Puskar Stadium on September 5 against Coastal Carolina, the change will already be in motion. The Big 12 has struck a multi-year deal with Monster Energy that makes the company the league’s Entitlement Partner, a package that includes jersey patches across football and men’s and women’s basketball, plus logos on school fields and courts.
The agreement is worth $20 million, and according to a report from Ben Portnoy of the Sports Business Journal, it is expected to bring each Big 12 member roughly $1 million per year.
Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark called the partnership a key step for the league’s business growth.
"This is an important partnership for the Big 12 as we continue to grow our commercial business," Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark said in a press release. "Monster Energy is a global, culturally relevant brand that aligns with who we are and where we're going. Together, we will bring the Big 12 to new audiences, expand our reach, and deliver innovative experiences for our fans."
Monster Energy said the fit makes sense because of the brand’s sports identity.
"Monster Energy has built its brand on sports and athletes that leave it all out there on the field or the court," said Mitch Covington, Monster Energy Chief Partnerships Officer. "Partnering with the Big 12 continues that tradition of aligning with great sports teams and organizations committed to excellence. Commissioner Brett Yormark and his teams at the Big 12 Conference are always going to be on the forefront of college athletics and we want to support and be part of it."
The deal has also sparked criticism online, with some pointing to how much inventory the Big 12 is giving up for the price. It covers jersey patches in three sports for all 16 teams, along with branding on 16 courts, and some observers have suggested the league could have pushed for more money.
For WVU, the Monster Energy agreement may not be the only patch situation in play. The school and other Big 12 programs are allowed to pursue another jersey patch deal, though it’s not clear yet whether they will do so.
West Virginia athletic director Wren Baker recently said the school is close to landing one.
"We’re on the verge of getting a patch sponsorship done. Anything we can do to create new revenue.
I think our budget’s grown by about 50% over the last four years, and so that’s been an important part of trying to make sure our coaches have what they need to compete. If you were to ask them, they could all use more, of course, but we try to put everybody in the best position that we can.”
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Three years ago, Kalani Sitake found himself in the middle of one of the more memorable West Virginia traditions without fully understanding the fine print. The BYU coach had talked up hearing fans sing Take Me Home, Country Roads at a game, only to later realize that at WVU, the song is reserved for after a win. It was the kind of harmless misstep that sticks because it says so much about how deeply that anthem is tied to Mountaineer football and the atmosphere around it.
Sitake revisited the moment during Big 12 Media Day and handled it with the sort of perspective that tends to play well in league circles. He acknowledged the mistake and made clear he respects what the song means in Morgantown, which is part of why the exchange has lingered beyond the original game. BYU and WVU are not on each others schedule this season, but the next trip to Morgantown is already on the horizon. [Read more 🡒]
Big 12 Commissioner Just Sent WVU Fans A Powerful Message
West Virginia has spent the spring and summer giving the Big 12 plenty to notice. The womens basketball team won the conference tournament, the baseball program reached the College World Series, and those milestones have only added to the sense that the Mountaineers are building something that travels well beyond a single season. That backdrop made Brett Yormarks comments at media days stand out, because the commissioner was not just acknowledging results. He was signaling that WVUs brand, investment and overall direction are being noticed at the highest level of the league.
For Mountaineer fans, the encouraging part is that the praise went beyond polite conference talk. Yormark pointed to the schools competitive potential and the way its fan base shows up, which matters in a league that values both performance and energy. There is also a broader layer here: West Virginia seems to fit the Big 12s culture in a way that could matter again if the conference landscape shifts, and the optimism around what Wren Baker is building only adds to that picture. [Read more 🡒]