If you've tuned in to watch the Indiana Hoosiers take on the Ohio State Buckeyes, you may notice something different about Indiana's jerseys: The Hoosiers now have a jersey patch sponsorship.
Earlier this week, the Indiana athletic department agreed to a jersey patch sponsorship deal with Merchants Bank. The five-year agreement further strengthens an already established relationship between Merchants Bank and IU athletics, which includes field naming rights and on-field branding at Merchants Bank Field at Memorial Stadium.
But the partnership isn't limited to football. According to the university, Merchants Bank branding will appear on uniforms across Indiana Athletics' 24 varsity sports programs. Furthermore, the branding will appear on coaches' apparel, including that worn by football head coach Curt Cignetti, men's basketball head coach Darian DeVries, women's basketball head coach Teri Moren, and other Indiana coaches. The partnership also includes expanded exposure through in-venue signage, digital platforms, and social media channels across the athletics department.
Saturday's Week 7 clash against Ohio State is the first game in which the new patch has been featured on Indiana's jerseys. It may take some time to get used to, but this is the new norm of college sports.
NEWS: Indiana has agreed to a five-year, all-sports jersey patch deal with Merchants Bank.
— Matt Fortuna (@Matt_Fortuna) October 15, 2026
The Hoosiers’ football team will debut the patch in Saturday’s game vs. Ohio State, the first top-5 matchup in stadium history.
Story ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/59UCvAyhTD
Indiana is the latest program to feature a jersey patch sponsorship
Love it or hate it, jersey patch sponsorships are becoming the new normal in college athletics. They have been relevant in the professional sports world for a couple years, and are now making their way to the college ranks at a rapid rate. Indiana is just the latest team to join the trend.
As it stands, over 20 Division I programs now have jersey patch deals in place, and the Big 12 conference as a whole has a sponsorship deal with Monster Energy. The momentum doesn't appear to be slowing down any time soon.
In today's era of NIL, generating as much revenue as possible is vital for athletic departments to stay competitive. Jersey patch sponsorships are an easy way to do so.
Indiana will get plenty of financial positives from new jersey patch agreement
Exact financial figures from the agreement have not been made available to the public. But it's safe to assume that Indiana will get a boatload of money from the partnership. As the Hoosier athletic department looks to continue making impressive advancements across the board, that extra oney could come in handy.
For comparison, Ohio State's jersey patch sponsorship with JP Morgan Chase is expected to yield OSU approximately $17 million per year. It would be a bit surprising to see Indiana's deal with Merchants Bank as high as that total, but the expected payout has to be significant.
In the current era of college sports, staying competitive on the field means that substantial financial resources are a necessity. Furthermore, with Indiana looking to upgrade facilities such as Memorial Stadium, this sponsorship can help with that effort.
It's not the most exciting new out there, and it may take some time to get used to seeing on Indiana's classic uniforms. But at least the deal is with an Indiana-based company and can help the Hoosiers keep up with the demands of today's era of college sports.
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