The need to meet the financial demands of college football and fund NIL deals for student-athletes has forced college programs into seeking non-traditional revenue streams. Particularly, members of the Mountain West Conference are joining the trend of signing jersey partnerships to raise more funds. The latest is Air Force Athletics, which has reportedly signed a jersey-patch deal with a longtime NFL partner.

Per Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger, Air Force Athletics is finalizing a deal with longtime NFL and Academy partner USAA for sponsorship patches across all 30 of its sports. The contract is set to last 5 years as part of a $10 million deal. The public announcement from the program is expected in June.

The partnership is not the first time the United Services Automobile Association and Air Force Athletics have come together. As far back as 2013, during a government shutdown, it was the USAA that sponsored the Air Force’s trip to play the Air Force-Navy game. In 2021, the USAA was the presenting sponsor for the Lockheed Martin Commanders’ Classic between the Army Black Knights and the Air Force Falcons.

The association also spearheaded the presenting sponsorship of the Blue & Silver Club and the Empower Her series, aimed at enhancing the experience for Air Force’s women’s athletic programs. Then, in October 2025, the pair took their partnership to the next level with a deal that made USAA the first-ever corporate partner to have its branding on the field at Falcon Stadium. And with the NFL, the association has been the Official Salute to Service Partner for over 14 seasons.

The jersey partnership between the Falcons and USAA is the third deal of any Mountain West member, after two other programs secured jersey patch deals some months ago. Last December, UNLV Athletics entered a five-year, $11 million deal with Accesso Biologics, a Las Vegas-based regenerative medicine company.

Furthermore, Wyoming Athletics, last month, announced a historic five-year, $4.5 million partnership with Tallgrass, a leading energy infrastructure company. The deal made Tallgrass the first-ever jersey patch partner with Wyoming Football, Men’s Basketball, and Women’s Basketball.

USAA on-the-field branding deal with the Air Force Falcons

USAA’s first major deal with Air Force Athletics came last October, with its on-field branding of Falcon Stadium. The USAA logo, which first appeared on the field during the Air Force’s nationally televised game on CBS against Army on November 1st, was placed on both 25-yard lines opposite the Mountain West logos. Per the Air Force Falcons’ official website, the program’s athletic director admitted that the move was made possible by the new NCAA legislation.

“We are proud to expand our partnership with USAA to include on-field brand placement,” Air Force Director of Athletics Nathan Pine said. “New NCAA legislation has made this sponsorship placement possible, and we are pleased to work with our longtime teammates at USAA to make it happen. We are grateful to USAA for their steadfast support of Air Force Athletics and their investment in our cadet-athletes.”

The USAA was founded in 1922 by a group of military officers. Headquartered in San Antonio, the USAA provides insurance, banking and retirement solutions to the 14 million members of the U.S. military and veterans, who served the country, and their families.