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When Texas takes the field for its home opener on Sept. 6, the iconic Longhorn logo at midfield won’t be alone. A new partner will share the spotlight, marking the latest sign of the program’s rise beyond the gridiron. With a major sponsorship kicking off in August, Texas is once again proving that the shifting landscape of college football is simply an opportunity for them to flourish.

The university has signed what’s believed to be the richest on-field sponsorship in college sports history with Humann, an Austin-based cardiovascular health company born out of Texas research. And the 16-year deal, managed by Longhorn Sports Properties, makes Humann the official cardiovascular supplement partner of Texas athletics. Given that, for the first time ever, its logo will sit side-by-side with the iconic Longhorn across every athletic venue.

On August 25, Texas insider CJ Vogel shared on X, “By my count, #Texas becomes the 7th SEC school to add a corporate logo to its on-field surface.” He noted it might also be the least distracting of them all. Texas AD Chris Del Conte explained the move. “If we were going to make the decision to put a brand on our fields, courts and across all our athletics venues, it had to have an incredible story of The University of Texas,” said Del Conte. Then he highlighted the connection between the brand and the program. “What began with Texas researchers has been used by our student-athletes for over a decade to help them perform better on the field,” he added. As of now, the deal stretches across all 20 Texas sports programs.

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Humann’s branding will be visible at Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium, UFCU Disch-Falk Field, Moody Center, and nine more athletic venues. On top of that, basketball facilities will join the lineup starting with the 2026-27 season. But Humann’s bond with Texas runs deeper than a standard sponsorship.

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Founded in 2009 from research at the UT Health Science Center, the company built on the work of Nobel Prize winner Dr. Ferid Murad. “Humann was born out of a University of Texas system research program and shaped by years of collaboration with its academic researchers, nutritionists, and training staff,” stated Joel Kocher, CEO and co-founder. After that, for more than a decade, Texas athletes have used Humann’s beetroot-based supplements, which the company credits for fueling over 20 national titles. Here, Drew Martin, Texas’ executive senior associate AD for external affairs, admitted the school was once hesitant about on-field sponsorships. But Humann’s roots made the difference and this helps in building the program.

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We said, ‘We’re not sure that this is something that UT is going to be interested in maybe ever,’” Martin told Sports Business Journal. “However, if we were going to do something with a company that has that kind of visibility, then it needed to be a company that could be across the board… that this brand was on par with the stature of Texas.” As of now, the sponsorship officially launches this month with activations across all sports. But they did not disclose the financial terms. And what makes it more intriguing is that Texas joins six other schools in their conference with on-field sponsorships.

Beyond Texas, here are the six schools and their deals

Auburn jumped in with a five-year deal with YellaWood, placing its mark beneath the “Pat Dye Field” script on both 25-yard lines. A first for Jordan-Hare. Then Missouri followed in 2024, stamping Shelter Insurance and EquipmentShare logos on its turf at Faurot Field. After that, Tennessee joined the wave too, rolling out a Pilot Travel Centers logo at Neyland Stadium as part of its stadium preservation push. But that’s not all.

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Arkansas introduced its own big-name partners in 2024, placing Walmart and Tyson Foods logos at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. And then, South Carolina followed with a multi-year deal that brought Blanchard Machinery branding to Williams-Brice Stadium starting in 2025. So, each move reflects how SEC programs are turning their fields into new platforms for revenue and exposure. However, one of the earliest examples in the SEC came from Kentucky.

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Since 2017, Kroger has held naming rights to the Wildcats’ stadium, with its logo displayed on the 25-yard lines at Kroger Field. Now, while it predates the NCAA’s 2024 rule change officially allowing on-field corporate logos, it set the stage for the wave of sponsorships that followed.

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"Is Texas setting a new standard for college sports with its historic Humann sponsorship deal?"

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