5 Jersey Patch Sponsor Ideas for Southern Miss After Stadium Renaming Deal

Jersey patch sponsors have grown in popularity as the need for innovative fundraising has increased in this new era of revenue sharing in college athletics. Now that Southern Miss has struck a $13.7 million stadium naming rights deal with Renasant Bank, it might be time for the Golden Eagles to keep the momentum going and enter the realm of jersey-patch sponsorships.

Some of the more notable jersey-patch sponsor pairings in the country include Notre Dame and SoFi, Ohio State and Chase Bank, Wisconsin and Culver's, and Memphis and FedEx. Those schools are mostly partnered with in-state businesses, so with that in mind, here are five potential Mississippi-based sponsors Southern Miss should consider reaching out to for jersey-patch sponsorships.

Parish Tractor

Agriculture is a staple of the Mississippi economy. And what makes farming go round? Tractors. You need a tractor to farm. And since 2012, Parish Tractor has supplied thousands of pieces of equipment to farmers, landowners, and even just yard cutters across the Southeast U.S.

Founded by Lee Parish after acquiring Poplarville Sales and Equipment in 2012, Parish Tractor has now grown to nine dealerships across Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, and Florida, selling Kubota, New Holland, Stihl, and other notable farm and lawn equipment brands. They're already supporters of Southern Miss athletics, so this would be a natural fit for a jersey patch sponsorship.

Southern Tire Mart

Southern Tire Mart and the Duff Brothers are synonymous with the Pine Belt. The Duffs are generous donors to Ole Miss, Mississippi State, and Southern Miss, with buildings on all three campuses being named after the two, including USM's athletic center. Southern Tire Mart was founded in 1973 by Ernest Duff. In 1983, after the company began to struggle, two of Ernest's sons, Jim and Thomas, took control and eventually sold the company to Tire Distribution Services in 1998.

Five years later, the pair bought the company back for $15 million and developed Duff Capital Investors. Today, Jim and Thomas Duff are the wealthiest Mississippians, each with an estimated worth of over $4 billion. DCI also oversees other Mississippi-based companies, including KLLM Trucking, TL Wallace Construction, and eight car dealerships. In a way, Southern Tire Mart was the kickstarter of the Duff Brothers' wealth and notability, and it is all based here in Hattiesburg.

Southern AgCredit

Founded in 1916 after President Woodrow Wilson enacted the Federal Land Bank System, Southern AgCredit is a Mississippi-based land credit organization. Specializing in farm and hunting lands, Southern AgCredit also provides financing for farm equipment and buildings such as silos and livestock housing. The company holds the largest portfolio of rural land in Mississippi and operates in 50 of the state's 82 counties, including Forrest County, where USM is located. As of 2026, the publicly traded company's portfolio was worth over $1 billion.

Ingalls Shipbuilding

The largest private employer in Mississippi is Ingalls Shipbuilding, located in the coastal region. Ingalls has been building warships and transport ships for the United States Navy since 1941 and has grown to build some of the most notable ships of American wartime, including the USS America, the largest ship built at the factory and one of the largest amphibious assault ships in the world. Ingalls has also built cruise ships, including the MS Pride of America.

Ingalls Shipbuilding employs over 11,000 workers and is worth roughly $11.65 billion. It is unknown if they can partner with a university for sponsorships due to their own government contracts, but given Southern Miss' military history, a partnership with a historic military partner such as this would be a natural fit.

Ward's Restaurant

A Ward's Big One Combo, with Ward's Homemade Root Beer in a Frosted Mug | Andy Baeuerle

Founded in Hattiesburg by brothers Ed and Richard Ward in 1978, Ward's Restaurant has grown significantly into one of the top fast-food chains in Mississippi. The Wards grew up working in the old Frostop Restaurant in Hattiesburg, known for chili dogs and homemade root beer. Today, there are over 30 Ward's Restaurants locations, as far north as Carthage and as far south as Long Beach.

Among its locations, six remain established here in Hattiesburg as a testament to where the brothers got their start 48 years ago. The Wards took their knowledge of Frostop and built their own restaurant, serving homemade chili burgers, chili dogs, ice cream and root beer to millions of Southerners over the years. This one might be more of a long shot, given the company's size compared to the others listed above, but since Ward's is a Hattiesburg and Pine Belt staple, it would be a natural fit as a potential Southern Miss jersey patch sponsor.

There are many other businesses based in Mississippi that could have made this hypothetical list, such as Peavey Electronics (Meridian), Trustmark Bank (Jackson), and Howard Industries (Laurel), but all of them are among the largest, wealthiest, and most notable in the state. If Southern Miss does decide to "advance to ball," so to speak, pursuing jersey-patch sponsors after its latest stadium naming rights deal, it will be interesting to see which companies end up wanting to do business with the Golden Eagles.

You have to be innovative in today's era of college athletics to compete in athletics as a Group of Five school, and athletic director Jeremy McClain appears to understand that better than anyone right now. You can find all of our Southern Miss athletics coverage at Southern Miss Golden Eagles On SI.

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