PROVO — BYU officially entered the new age of college football Monday with a first-of-its-kind jersey patch that will be worn on its jerseys during the 2026 sason.
The Cougars announced Monday a multi-year agreement with Utah-based technology company Entrata, marking the first program-specific jersey patch sponsorship for BYU football.
The long-time corporate sponsor of BYU athletics says it will also collaborate with the athletic department on certain community initiatives while creating "opportunities for student-athletes to engage in meaningful service and reinforce both organizations' commitments to making a positive impact beyond competition."
"We are grateful for this new sponsorship with Entrata and excited to welcome them to the BYU Athletics family," BYU athletic director Brian Santiago said in a statement. "Entrata brings great value to BYU athletics. We are excited about this new relationship and anticipate a bright future."
Terms of the deal were not disclosed. But the Entrata logo will appear on the upper left shoulder, just above where the signature Nike logo has appeared on BYU uniforms in the past.
"This relationship with Entrata represents a step forward for BYU athletics," said BYU senior associate athletic director for corporate sponsorships Casey Stauffer in a statement. "We are excited to align athletic excellence with community impact through this collaboration."
BYU Athletics announces a multi-year partnership with Entrata, making the Utah-based company the first institutional jersey patch partner in BYU Football history. pic.twitter.com/etJ0nfy5DS
— BYU FOOTBALL (@BYUfootball) July 13, 2026
What is Entrata?
Based in Lehi, Entrata describes itself an AI-powered property management software that serves millions of residents across thousands of apartment communities worldwide.
Once described as a tech "unicorn," Entrata has grown to be multi-billion corporation, with a valuation as high as $4.3 billion, according to getlaka.com.
The company founded in 2003 also shares strong ties to BYU, including co-founder and former president Ben Zimmer who sits on the advisory board of the university's Marriott School of Business.
Zimmer co-wrote a business plan while he attended BYU that won a national business plan competition by Fortune Small Business Magazine, and used the plan to launch the company that grew to over $120 million in annual revenue, $20 billion in annual payment processing, and 1,600 employees. Zimmer left Entrata in 2017 and founded Veras (formerly Jobwise) four years later, according to his LinkedIn profile.
But Entrata's roots with the university have only grown since then.
"Entrata was started by BYU students, first customers were BYU student housing apartments, won the 2003 BYU Biz Plan competition, and has always been led by a BYU alum," Entrata CEO Adam Edmunds posted on social media after the announcement. "Excited for this partnership!"
The sponsorship will also include in-venue branding, digital activations and fan engagement opportunities, the university said.
Why can college sports teams add jersey sponsors?
Back in January, the NCAA approved legislation allowing Division I programs to add uniform patches capable of generating millions for cash-strapped athletic departments in the modern era of revenue sharing and name, image and likeness payments for athletes.
Beginning Aug. 1, Division I teams will be allowed to place up to two patches of no more than 4 square inches on uniforms for regular-season games, according to the Associated Press. Separate rules committees will decide on whether to allow similar patches in the postseason, including the NCAA men's and women's basketball tournaments, the men's and women's College World Series, and the College Football Playoff.
Some NBA teams have earned eight-figure commissions from investors and advertisers since allowing jersey patch sponsors in 2016. Arkansas signed a multiyear agreement with legacy sponsor Tyson Foods that is believed to be one of the most prominent jersey patch sponsors in college football, and UNLV signed a five-year, $11-million deal ($2.2 million annually) with Acesso Biologics to be the lead jersey sponsor in football, men's and women's basketball, and baseball, according to The Athletic.
Entrata is the second company to partner with a local university as a jersey patch sponsor. Utah Valley University announced last month a partnership with The Policy Project, a Utah-based nonprofit organization focused on creating policy solutions, to be the Wolverines' patch partner for men's and women's soccer beginning with the 2026-27 season.
Entrata will be the second jersey patch to appear on BYU football uniforms in the fall. The Big 12 announced a conference-wide agreement with Monster Energy that will see the energy drink supplier's co-branded logo on the conference patch of all 16 teams under a multi-year agreement worth $20 million annually, according to Sports Business Journal.
"Entrata is proud to be a Utah company," Edmunds said in a statement. "Much of our team lives here, and we've always believed in investing where we are. This relationship lets us work alongside one of the premier programs in the country. We're excited to be joining Cougar Nation and play our part in what's ahead."
BYU opens the 2026 college football season Sept. 5 against Utah Tech (6 p.m. MDT, ESPN+).
