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South Carolina football enters this season with massive expectations after the way they finished last season. The Gamecocks finished 9-3 last season and beat three ranked teams. Off the field, they are recruiting well, and the Gamecocks are adding sponsorships to the field at Williams-Brice Stadium, signaling a new shift in the world of college athletics more than ever before.
On3 Sports College Football Insider Brett McMurphy posted that Blanchard CAT and Blanchard Rental will be featured on both 25-yard lines. This is the first time the Gamecocks have utilized a sponsorship like this, and it comes after the NCAA approved all schools to do this last summer.
McMurphy's post officially said: “South Carolina will feature Blanchard CAT & Blanchard Rental on-field logos on both 25-yard lines, a first for the Gamecocks.” Then, Shane Beamer and Blanchard are featured in a picture at the field in front of the logo.
Last season, the NCAA allowed commercial sponsorships for the first time, and they were approved not just for the Division I level but for every division.
The NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel approved the recommendation from the Football Rules Committee. The rule allows corporate advertisements to be placed in three spots on the field: a single ad centered on the 50-yard line and no more than two smaller flanking advertisements elsewhere on the field. This can be done on a game-by-game basis or for the entire season.
“I grew up in Syracuse, New York, so I was accustomed to the Carrier Dome, now the JMA Wireless Dome,” SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said when talking about the change. “So this is not new within the college sports enterprise. We've had clear lines, so it hasn't appeared on the field. I would anticipate there's going to be a continuing push of those limits.”
The schools must pay athletes directly due to the approved House Settlement, which legalized revenue-sharing between the schools and the student-athletes. Putting sponsorships on the field offers schools an additional revenue stream to help compensate their athletes and make more money for themselves.
“This change allows schools to generate additional income to support student-athletes,” NCAA president Charlie Baker said in a prepared statement. “I'm pleased we could find flexibility within our rules to make this happen for member schools.”
Each school can implement this independently, but with South Carolina football implementing it for the first time, you will see it happen more and more.
This also happens just in time for the 2025 season, where South Carolina football head coach Shane Beamer is sure to have a good team full of playmakers on his hands.
