WVU Announces First-Ever Jersey Patch Sponsor Across All Sports

A new logo will be displayed on WVU sports jerseys in 2026-27.

WVU Athletics Communications

The day has finally arrived. A corporate sponsorship jersey patch will be featured on all West Virginia University athletics uniforms, beginning this fall. On Tuesday, the university announced that they have struck a deal with Antero Resources. The deal will be for five years; further details were not disclosed.

According to their website, "Antero Resources is an independent natural gas and liquids company operating in the Appalachian Basin. Antero is one of the largest U.S. suppliers of natural gas and LPG to the global export market."

“This is an historic day for West Virginia Athletics, and I am grateful that Antero is part of the Mountaineer family,” Vice President and Director of Athletics Wren Baker said in a press release. “More than 500 Mountaineer student-athletes proudly wear the West Virginia jersey, competing and representing the University and the state in front of millions each week on the national stage. Now, Antero shares that jersey with us and will play a key role in our future success.

“As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, WVU plays a vital and dynamic role in the overall economic success, growth and well-being of the state,” Baker added. “Antero has been a partner of ours that cares, as it supplies energy on a daily basis to improve health, safety and the livelihood of millions. The Mountaineers look forward to being a part of this special bond with Antero.”

WVU Athletics Communications

"We are excited to be sewn into the fabric of Mountaineer Athletics," said Antero Resources and Antero Midstream President and CEO Michael Kennedy. "It is a demonstration that West Virginia is an energy state and a demonstration of Antero's commitment to West Virginia. We know it will be a point of pride for all of the Antero family - our employees, our contractors, our mineral owners - when they see Antero on these jerseys." 

Landing deals like this is big for the athletic department's budget, as well as its ability to compete with the top teams in the Big 12 Conference across all sports. Back in the spring, Baker told reporters that the department's budget had grown "roughly 50%" from where it was three years ago.

The next big deal that they will likely look to execute is the naming rights for Milan Puskar Stadium. Baker in the spring said, “No imminent update on that, but we continue to explore every opportunity that brings in revenue. Rather, that’s sponsor patches, names for facilities, trying to raise money the traditional way. But with our presence in the state, when we do a deal like that, it needs to be the right partner that has the right values that we can collectively can agree on how we want our brands co-branded and co-mingled.”