Commercialized Gridiron: What On-Field Sponsors Could Appear in 2024 For Ole Miss?

As college football continues to transform, the money keeps pouring in. Will the Ole Miss Rebels add on-field sponsorships in 2024?

Nov 4, 2023; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi Rebels defensive back Daniel Newman (49) wearing the camouflage helmet during warm ups prior to the game against the Texas A&M Aggies at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports / Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports

The landscape of college football has certainly changed in the last 10 years with the creation of the playoff, the rise of the NIL/portal era, and the expansion to a 12-team playoff format. The Ole Miss Rebels are just one of many programs who are adjusting to these new times.

With college football being in its current state, more people are going to want a piece of the pie. Sponsorship rights are up for grabs for some of the biggest brands in the sport, and Ole Miss might have multiple options to pick from.

Since the NCAA has approved on-field sponsorships for the 2024 regular season, let's take a look at some more of the options for Ole Miss as this new facet of college football continues to evolve. You can read our first installment in this series here.

Real Possibilities

- Realtree

The Ole Miss football program has leaned into the Realtree brand, adding the camo helmet to their uniform rotation. It instantly became one of the more unique looks across the country, but would this brand push out the cash to have its logo on the field surface at Vaught-Hemingway?

- Nicholas Air

Quarterback Jaxson Dart signed an NIL deal with Nichols Air this spring, and they also have a connection with the Ole Miss Athletic Foundation and the Vaught Society. This is a high-profile Oxford company that would make sense in this role in a lot of ways.

- FedEx

This corporation has partnered with Ole Miss in various academic ventures for years, and there are some prominent university alums who are within the company's hierarchy. FedEx is also based in Memphis, just about an hour north of Oxford, and it is the namesake of the FedEx Student-Athlete Academic Support Center on campus.

This doesn't mean that FedEx would opt to put a sponsorship on the field in Oxford, but who knows?

- CSpire

As mentioned in our previous installment, CSpire is a Mississippi-based telecommunications company. This corporation also has an office on campus at Ole Miss, located at Insight Park, so perhaps it would be willing to spring for an on-field ad.

Would Be Fun

- Wonderbird Spirits

Wonderbird Spirits opened in Taylor, Mississippi, in 2019 as North Mississippi's first distillery. Since this is located just outside of Oxford, this would be a pretty cool way to support local business.

- Blue Delta Jeans

Blue Delta is a very successful custom blue jean company that makes all of its jeans in Tupelo, Mississippi. Blue Delta has a national footprint with the US Ryder Cup team wearing their product in Rome in 2023. Blue Delta also has a shop in Oxford and has set up NIL opportunities with Ole Miss football in the past.