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Notre Dame and Ohio State Fumbled Their Jersey Patches

Two iconic college football uniforms are now blemished by jersey patch sponsors.
Pat Benson|
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Ohio State Buckeyes unveiled new jersey patches.
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Ohio State Buckeyes unveiled new jersey patches. | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

Even the most strident college football fans can no longer deny the obvious reality. Jersey patches are coming for every team's uniform. However, that does not make it any easier to swallow that harsh truth.

Last week, a leaked picture of an Ohio State Buckeyes jersey showed a jersey patch sponsor (confirmed today). This afternoon, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish announced a new partnership. Two of the most iconic uniforms in the sport were immediately downgraded for the sake of a new revenue stream. Below is a breakdown of what fans must know.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish (SoFi)

At exactly Noon CST, Notre Dame announced a partnership with SoFi. Similar to almost every other athletic department, the Fighting Irish social media team tried its best to dress up the disheartening news with a spirited campaign video.

What sets Notre Dame's jersey patch apart from many other schools is that the SoFi patch contrasts with the iconic navy home jersey. We have not yet seen road white jerseys, but let's hope the SoFi patch remains white and navy for that uniform without inverting the colors for maximum visibility.

Notre Dame touted SoFi as a partner for "empowering a new generation of champions to get their money right."

Meanwhile, the official press release highlights the financial services provided and the establishment of an annual fund to further Notre Dame's "4 for Forever" promise. We are all for empowering student-athletes, but must it come at the cost of a priceless uniform?

Ohio State Buckeyes (Chase)

At 8:00 a.m. EST, Ohio State announced its jersey patch partnership with Chase. The campaign video was simply captioned, "The start of a new chapter begins today." Honestly, that's better than trying to excite fans about a new revenue stream that doubles as an eyesore.

Another way Ohio State's jersey patch is slightly better than Notre Dame's is that it's complementary, or at least, not contrasting. It's silver, placed right above the Big Ten logo, and beside the beautiful new sleeve stripes.

The 2026 college football season kicks off in roughly one month, and fans can safely expect more jersey patch announcements in the coming weeks.

There have been plenty of exciting new uniforms unveiled this offseason, but the avalanche of new jersey patch sponsorships has far outweighed the good news. Stay locked into Sports Illustrated's Jerseys On SI for all your uniform news from the sports world and beyond.

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Pat Benson
PAT BENSON

Pat Benson covers team uniforms and player apparel for Jerseys On Sports Illustrated. Pat is a trusted voice for fans, regularly breaking news, spotlighting important stories, and interviewing the biggest names in sports. Pat also covers the footwear industry and has authored "Kobe Bryant's Sneaker History (1996-2020." You can email him at 1989patbenson@gmail.com.

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