Photo: UConn Becomes 1st CFB Team to Feature NIL Sponsorship Logos on FBS Field

In June, the NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel gave colleges and universities permission to place corporate sponsorship logos on their fields. Only up to three such on-field advertisements are allowed—one on the 50-yard line, and two smaller ones on either side of the field.

The UConn Huskies will be the first school officially taking advantage of the new rule, as the school announced on Monday:

“This change allows schools to generate additional income to support student-athletes,” NCAA president Charlie Baker said in a statement back in June. “I’m pleased that we could find flexibility within our rules to make this happen for member schools.”

More than a few schools are expected to take advantage, especially following the House v. NCAA settlement that paved the way for $2.8 billion in back-pay damages to college athletes over a 10-year period who missed out on NIL opportunities and paved the way for a revenue-sharing model that would allow schools to directly funnel money to the student athletes.

But all of that costs money, and corporate logos on fields were seen as one natural way to counteract those new expenses.

“I grew up in Syracuse, New York, so I was accustomed to the Carrier Dome, which is now the JMA Wireless Dome,” SEC commissioner Greg Sankey told reporters in June. “So this is not new within the college sports enterprise. We’ve had clear lines, so it hasn’t been appearing on the field. I would anticipate there’s going to be a continuing push of those limits.”

UConn has started the push, but expect plenty of schools to follow suit.