Auburn to add Yellawood, Pat Dye’s Name, to Playing Surface

Thanks to the NCAA’s ruling last June, schools can now sell sponsorships and display corporate logos on their football fields. The rule specifically allows for a single advertisement to be placed on the 50-yard line, with no more than two additional advertisements elsewhere on the field.

In past years, teams have included small logos on the 25-yard lines and, of course, played on fields covered with corporate logos during bowl games. Sponsor names and logos were only permitted on the field if that sponsor had purchased naming rights to the stadium, field, or facility.

Auburn has placed Yellawood Pressure Treated Pine logos on the 25-yard lines, opposite the SEC logos that have donned Pat Dye Field since 2007.

It’s the first time that a corporate logo has appeared on Jordan-Hare Stadium’s grass for an Auburn football game. A-Day, the Tigers’ annual spring game, has included the Tigers Unlimited logo since 2014. Tigers Unlimited is the fundraising arm of Auburn Athletics.

Tennessee was the first SEC school to announce a field sponsorship as Pilot Travel Centers has partnered to assist with renovating and preserving Neyland Stadium. Kentucky and Arkansas also had corporate logos on their playing surfaces last season. South Carolina is adding one this season.

According to Auburn’s announcement of the deal, Jimmy Rane, Yellawood’s owner and CEO, wanted to use this space to honor his late friend, Pat Dye. Dye’s name will be added to the field above the Yellawood logo. Yellawood and Auburn reportedly signed the deal to keep both logos and Dye’s name on the field for the next five years.

Jordan-Hare Stadium’s playing surface will have two new additions this year. (image via Auburn Athletics)

This comes as another move that college athletics and Auburn Athletics, in particular, have made to earn additional revenue from sponsorships. With the ever-changing landscaping consisting of Name, Image, and Likeness and the looming profit-sharing model, schools are looking for as many opportunities to generate more income. Some reports indicate that schools have cut senior staff members with more job cuts coming. Schools have also been discussing dropping varsity sports entirely.

To the credit of Auburn and Yellawood, the funds from this sponsorship are being allocated to help alleviate the costs of profit sharing and will help fund Auburn’s NIL program.

Following the pandemic that created a unique, shortened 2020 season, Auburn sold additional sponsorships for placement on the brick walls just beyond the back of the endzone.

That move was made by the previous athletics department regime. John Cohen’s staff has also made multiple similar moves to generate additional profit. On-field suite tents were first added to Jordan-Hare Stadium in 2021 and have been replaced with more permanent fixtures for 2024. New LED boards were installed above one tunnel and near one of the on-field suites to display additional sponsorships.

Neville Arena’s long-forgotten and neglected Lovelace Hall of Honor was replaced with temporary concessions set up specifically to sell alcohol. Plainsman Park added the Frank Thomas Hall of Fame Club for the 2024 season with ground-level seats behind home plate and access to a new club area, again with alcohol available. Two additional club areas were added to Plainsman Park for the 2025 season.

The 2024 Auburn Football season also debuted additional changes and opportunities. The Locker Room Club has access to a new club space under the southeast corner (the student section) and new drink rails along the hedges behind the visiting team’s bench.

Auburn is heading into year four of offering “VIP Experiences” for fans to purchase add-ons to their game tickets. These include joining the team for Tiger Walk, pregame sideline passes, and more. In 2024, Auburn no longer offered free locker room “tours” (simply unlimited access to the football locker room, recruiting area, and area behind the south endzone). They have been changed to include guided tours to the locker room, media room, and press box for $25 a ticket.

When the NCAA’s rule change was announced in June 2024, it was expected that Auburn would be among the early adopters to add sponsorship logos to the playing surface. With more changes in the collegiate athletics world imminent, expect to see Auburn continue to adopt more “premium” and special access pricing models to generate additional funds for the program.

Featured image via Auburn Athletics