Cal's Logo-Patch Deal, Reportedly Worth $16 Million, Continues the Cal-Alumni Affiliation with Football

Cal's logo-patch deal with Dialpad, which, according to On3NIL, is worth $16 million over five years, continues the trend of Cal alumni being key figures in the buildup of Cal football and other sports.

"I think it's worth repeating that the chancellor is an alumnus of Cal, the general manager is alumnus of Cal, the head coach is an alumnus of Cal, I'm an alumnus of Cal," said Dialad CEO Craig Walker. "Having that level of alignment is really unique. . . . These colors run deep for all four of us."

Head coach Tosh Lupoi played at Cal in the early 2000s when Jeff Tedford pushed the Bears into national prominence. Cal football general manager Ron Rivera was an All-America linebacker at Cal in 1983. Chancellor Rich Lyons talks about attending football games while he was a Cal undergraduate (1978-1982) and now is outspoken about the importance of having a winning football program at Cal. Walker attended Cal football games regularly as an undergrad (1983-1989), then remembers fondly watching Jason Kidd rule college basketball when Walker attended Cal law school in the early 1990s.

Their predecessors were a head coach (Justin Wilcox) who attended the University of Oregon, an athletic director (Jim Knowlton) who graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, and a chancellor (Carol Christ) who received her undergrauate degree from Rutgers and her Ph.D from Yale.

This is not to suggest that the prior group did not strive for football excellence at Cal. But the current group seems to take the future of Cal football personally, providing a different feel. It's the first time Cal football and Cal athletics have had this combination of Cal grads in positions of influence.

When a new NCAA rule this year allowed college athletic programs to wear corporate-sponsored logo patches on their uniforms, it was a friend of Walker's, a Cal booster, who introduced Walker to Rivera to initiate the process of Cal and Dialpad reaching an agreement.

Walker is quick to point out that the logo-patch deal applies to all 30 Cal Division I varsity sports and rugby, and he said Dialpad plans to provide support to Cal club sports as well. And it's not just the logo patch. The Dialpad name will be present on the Memorial Stadium field and the Haas Pavilion floor as well as suites at the stadium and a number other programs.

As a Bay Area resident who grew up in Cupertino, Walker notes it's a perfect marriage of everything the Bay Area represents in terms of elite college education, local alumni and AI and tech innovation. "In the heart of where the AI revolution is happening," Walker said.

Dialpad is, at its most basic, an AI-powered platform for communication. Walker says Dialpad has provided a support and coaching system for many clients, but now is adding an AI ability to handle issues on its own.

"The thing we're doing with Berkeley is, we'll even get to the point of being able to buy tickets talking to an AI agent, change tickets, buy a parking pass, see where your seats are, do anything you can do by calling the athletic department and talking to a human, we want to try to make that all automated using our AI capabilities as well," said Walker, who notes the service would be particularly important to a person who needs that service at, say, 3 a.m.

Cal is not the only school that has reached agreement on a logo-patch deal. Among the football schools that have similar deals are Ohio State (a JPMorganChase deal worth nearly $17 million for all 36 sports, according to ESPN), Notre Dame (SoFi Technologies agreement worth $18 million to $20 million, over six years, according to ESPN), Michigan State (10-year deal with MSU Federal Credit Union worth an estimated $40 million, according to the Detroit News), Illinois (Busey Bank deal for five years and $30 million, according to Front Office Sports) and many others.

These sponsorship dollars are critical to college athletic programs now that college athletes are involved in revenue sharing. The amount of money colleges are allowed to pay all of its athletes is limited to $21.3 million in 2026-27, and most elite football and basketball schools spend all of it. Some reports, including one by On SI, suggest the cap is really closer to $50 million with the work-arounds some schools are utilizing.

Cal is the only ACC school so far to have a logo-patch deal. On Friday Stanford announced a corporate sponsorship agreement with Fortinet, which includes naming rights, signage opportunities and branding, although there is no mention of a logo patch for athletes' uniforms.

Walker and Dialpad have already had logo deals with a number of pro teams, including the Sacramento Kings, Denver Broncos and San Diego Padres among others, so this is not an untested venture for Dialpad.

"We have a great solution for ticketing and fan experience," he said.

Dialpad's benefit in sponsoring Cal athletics is the image it projects by participating in this endeavor as well as the exposure it receives. So Cal's success on the football field, the basketball court and all other Cal sports facilities affects how much Dialpad benefits.

Therefore, it's as a corporate sponsor as well as a loyal Cal fan that Walker is hoping for winning Golden Bear seasons over the next few seasons. The sport with the biggest impact is football, which is also the one that is starting with a September 5 night game against UCLA in Berkeley that is expected to be close to a sellout.

"I have very high hopes for the Cal football team," Walker said.

NEW: Cal’s new jersey patch deal with Dialpad is worth $16 million total over a five-year span💰

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