A sponsored jersey patch is coming to Oklahoma sooner or later, but athletic director Roger Denny is approaching the process as a marathon, not a sprint, to assure it has the best finish for the Sooners.
Getting a company logo on jerseys as a sponsorship became legal months ago in the NCAA, but it became the talk of college football this week when Ohio State and Notre Dame's massive deals were revealed. That prompted Voice of the Sooners Toby Rowland, who's also with News 9, to ask Denny what his plans are for the latest necessary evil in college athletics to succeed.
"It's certainly something we're looking into, but we're being deliberate," Denny told Rowland. "It has to be the right deal with the right partner."
With Notre Dame and Ohio State making headlines over jersey patch sponsorships, @TRowOU learned more about Oklahoma's approach.
— News 9 (@NEWS9) July 29, 2026
"It's certainly something we're looking into, but we're being deliberate. It has to be the right deal with the right partner."
— OU Athletic Director… pic.twitter.com/g50DSo67CO
Being more than a football school gives Sooners all the power to make a lucrative corporate deal
That all but confirms a sponsored patch will be repped by the Sooners eventually, as expected, and Denny's comments also reveal he's not just jumping at a quick opportunity in fear of getting left behind. And that's exactly how he should approach this because the Sooners' deal could be even more lucrative than Notre Dame's $20 million if Denny's patience pays off.
Notre Dame and Ohio State were not the first universities to land an agreement for a corporate patch (even Oklahoma State down the highway already has one with the Osage tribe), but the Fighting Irish and Buckeyes' were by far the biggest deals, at least so far, as college football blue-blood programs.
Eyes popped when Ohio State's $17 million annually from JPMorganChase was released earlier this week, but then Notre Dame set a new record hours later by getting $20 million annually from SoFi.
Like Notre Dame and Ohio State, Oklahoma is also a college football blue blood with one of the most recognizable logos in America. That obviously gives the expectations for the Sooners' deal to be just as profitable, but these patches have been for all sports, not just football. And that right there is why Denny has more leverage than just about any other athletic department.
When football season ends, a spotlight will still be on the Sooners and it never really dims. The men's basketball program is struggling, but Porter Moser's squad still has a schedule loaded with big-time SEC matchups that will be on an ESPN channel twice a week.
Jennie Baranczyk's program will be a top-15 squad in the country again with one of the most recognizable players in women's college basketball right now in Aaliyah Chavez. Then off the hardwood during the winter, both of OU's gymnastics programs will be national contenders in what's one of the fast-growing sports in the country, especially with the Olympics right around the corner.
The spring then draws even more attention to diamonds in Norman with the defending national champions in baseball and, even after a disappointing 2026, Patty Gasso still leading the premier program in college softball that consistently sells out Love's Field.
No matter the season, there will always be eyes on the Sooners. Because of that, there might not be a more bang-for-your-buck value for companies looking to brand an athletic department than Oklahoma.
Denny is not going to settle, and with as much leverage as he has leading an exceptional all-around athletic department, it could be the Sooners that earn the ultimate sponsorship logo deal that breaks records.
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