Criticism Pouring in After College Football Playoff Contender Breaks Tradition originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The South Carolina Gamecocks’ latest addition to its field at Williams–Brice Stadium is a sign of where college football is headed, but is one that fans may not be ready for.
Following a 2024 season that saw them finish 9-4 and nearly surge into the College Football Playoff down the stretch, the Gamecocks are on just about everyone’s radar in 2025. Shane Beamer’s squad came in as the No. 13 team in the AP Preseason Poll on Monday, and have become a popular pick to make a run in large part thanks to the dynamic athlete they have at quarterback, LaNorris Sellers.
With so much attention on the Gamecocks, many fans took exception to their willingness to partake in adding an on-field sponsor logo to their field.
South Carolina Breaks College Football Tradition
As of last season, the NCAA passed a rule allowing teams across all three divisions of football to have commercial sponsor advertisements on football fields during regular-season games. While this strays from the clean look of just a team’s logo, the announcement expressed that it provides programs with “an additional revenue opportunity for schools that has not been available during the regular season.”
As shared to X by On3’s Brett McMurphy, South Carolina’s field now features the logo of Blanchard CAT, which is a company that rents out construction machinery in South Carolina.
South Carolina will feature Blanchard CAT & Blanchard Rental on-field logos on both 25-yard lines, a first for the Gamecocks pic.twitter.com/mUQ7HlGioc
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) August 11, 2025
An addition that fans on social media didn’t love.
“This is the worst era in college athletics,” commented one fan.
“We better be getting a fat check for this smh,” said a second.
“have some shame,” wrote a third.
“Are they that broke they need on field ads,” asked one fan.
“College athletics man….thank God I grew up in the Golden era — I hate it here,” commented another.
Does Every School Have to Feature an On-Field Sponsorship?
Although this rule was enacted for programs to earn more money, it’s not required. When it was first passed in 2024, Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne told ESPN that it wasn’t something they planned to do.
“We’re pretty traditional,” Byrne said. “One of the cool things I think is that Alabama doesn’t change their jerseys. We’re unique in that way. Never say never but we obviously are fairly conservative when it comes to what we do from anything like that.”
Is South Carolina Poised for a Run in 2025?
While fans may not love the ad on the field, there’s a high probability they love the play on that very field. Led by Sellers at quarterback and Dylan Stewart at EDGE, the Gamecocks have the star power to make up for the fact that they return just 56% of their total production from a year ago.
However, the Gamecocks do have a tough schedule, ranking No. 13 nationally in that department. From October 11-November 15, the Gamecocks will face five top-25 opponents. They also conclude the year against preseason No. 4, Clemson.
For the sake of Beamer and company, there is likely a hope that fans are only worried about the ad and not the team face-planting after 2024 when things are all said and done.
Related: There’s a New No. 1 Team in College Football After Latest Poll Released
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Aug 11, 2025, where it first appeared.
