Best Brand Ideas For An Oklahoma Sooners Football Jersey Patch

Sponsored jersey patches are officially coming to college football this season, and I’m still not a huge fan of it.

The Big 12 already sold out with a $20 million per year Monster Energy deal — roughly $1.25 million per team — which feels cheap and is probably going to look awful on the jerseys.

Oklahoma State went a better route with their Osage Nation patch, which actually has some Oklahoma flavor to it. We’ve seen this for years in NASCAR, MLS, and the NBA, where the Thunder rock the Love’s Travel Stops patch.

So who should Oklahoma partner with?

Here are five brands with strong Oklahoma ties that I think would actually look good on the Sooners’ jerseys:

1. Braum’s

This is the one I want the most. That classic Braum’s logo with the ice cream cone would look clean on the jersey and make every fan instantly hungry. Their ice cream is legitimately elite, and the chocolate milk is the best you’ll find anywhere. Everyone loves the little grocery store inside too!

The burgers are average at best, but nobody’s mad about it. Braum’s still feels very Oklahoma with their own stores and old-school vibe. Of note, Braum's farm is in Tuttle, the hometown of former Sooner Heisman Trophy winner Jason White. This patch would be wholesome, recognizable, and perfect.

2. Sonic

Bob Stoops already does their commercials, so the relationship is already there. This one would’ve been hilarious if the Thunder had partnered with them after moving from Seattle to Oklahoma — imagine the “Sonic” patch going national right after the team left the Pacific Northwest.

Sonic is pure Oklahoma culture. Slushes, cheese tots, happy hour drinks — it’s all there. The quality has slipped some in recent years like most fast food, but it’s still a staple for a lot of us. This patch would get the most buzz and memes by far.

3. Paycom

Paycom currently has naming rights on the Thunder’s arena, but that ends when the new building, Continental Coliseum opens. There’s some funny irony here — college football just put in an NIL revenue cap for players, and now a payroll/HR company shows up on the jerseys. “We’re limiting what we can pay you… but here’s Paycom!”

They’ve had some negative press with recent layoffs in OKC, so the positive exposure wouldn’t hurt. It’s corporate Oklahoma, for better or worse.

4. Dollar Thrifty

The rental car company (Dollar and Thrifty) is headquartered in Tulsa. They could even make the deal sweeter by giving players rental cars. This one feels very Oklahoma — practical and no-frills.

If you're Dollar Thrifty, you can't do this deal with Georgia, considering their track record of players driving vehicles. It’s not flashy, but it’s authentic to the state.

5. Mazzio’s

This one is pure nostalgia. Mazzio’s was the Sunday after-church spot for a lot of us growing up. The buffet era was legendary, and even though they brought it back after COVID, the magic was never the same.

The pizza isn’t world-class, but it’s perfectly “Oklahoma okay.” It represents the state well — nothing fancy, a little greasy, reliable, and always there. A Mazzio’s patch would be funny and hit home with a lot of fans my age.

Overall, I hope Oklahoma doesn’t settle for some random energy drink like the rest of the Big 12. Monster Energy Big 12 Football sounds gross. Monster already flopped badly in NASCAR, renaming the premier series, the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series at one point.

The Sooners should aim for something that actually feels connected to the state and the program. A Braum’s or Sonic patch just feels right — local, recognizable, and something fans can genuinely get behind.

This whole jersey patch era is strange, but if it’s happening, OU might as well do it the Oklahoma way.