For a short time Tuesday, it appeared Ohio State University’s athletic program claimed the title of richest sponsorship deal in NCAA Division I athletics. This after announcing a multi-year partnership with JPMorgan Chase, as they pay OSU a reported $17 million annually to put a Chase Bank patch on all of their uniforms.

Then, Notre Dame rolled in a short time later, putting out a video with ESPN’s Hannah Storm, who is also a graduate of the school, narrating…

There’s no evidence to claim that Notre Dame planned to unveil their reported $18 to $20 million sponsorship deal with SoFi right after the Ohio State news, but it was perfect timing nonetheless.

NCAA Division I programs can now enter into advertising deals and display sponsors logos on their uniforms starting in August, and while traditionalists may find the SoFi patch as unappealing as the ACC patch during the 2020 COVID season, this is the direction college football (and other sports) are going in with Name, Image and Likeness creating a transfer portal that’s more interesting than any NFL free agency period.

For Notre Dame, they were among the first to go out and sign a television deal with NBC to air all its home games, and the revenue already generated by football has allowed it to remain an Independent, where every earthquake with conference realignment doesn’t register on the Richter scale in South Bend.

So the sponsorship with the financial tech company just tracks.

The SoFi jersey patch will get pushback from some fans, but like the installation of fieldturf at Notre Dame Stadium more than decade ago, the new videoboard in 2017, the old wooden bleachers being removed for more modern steel ones, and even the Peacock-exclusive homeg game, it will seem out of place for a season and just become standard, with the knowledge that it will benefit the football program.

In the case of the sponsorship, it benefits all athletic programs at Notre Dame.