The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2026 ■ 13 TRACKING THE PACK BY NOAH FLEISCHMAN When NC State athletics director Boo Corrigan held his an- nual summer press conference a year ago, he felt confident the Wolfpack would be able to secure a naming rights partner for Carter-Finley Stadium in the near future. Corrigan knew the 2025 season was out of the question, but it seemed feasible that by 2026, a company's name would adorn the side of the university's crown jewel athletics facility. "There's a lot of interest in it," Corrigan said last August. "I was really, really hopeful that we would be able to have some- thing this year. At this point, we're three weeks away from the season opener, and I don't think that's going to happen. But there has been a great deal of interest." A year has passed, and NC State hasn't seen any progress publicly on a naming rights partner or a jersey patch sponsor. Neither the building nor the Pack's uniforms have a corpora- tion's logo affixed. The Wolfpack is still searching for the right company to work with on both sponsorship fronts. "We are in the market," Corrigan said at an Aug. 21 news conference. "We've got a couple people that have been further down the road with it; it's just not an easy thing. And then you put the jersey patch on top of that, and you try to work the same angle on the jersey patch to try to get people. I believe in what our brand is, who we are, what we represent to this state. We've just got to find the right partner." At a time when every school is looking to maximize athletics revenue, both pathways have become more commonly used. Georgia Tech, for example, signed a 20-year, $55 million deal with Hyundai for its stadium naming rights in 2023. Lenovo, meanwhile, inked a 10-year, $60 million contract in 2024 to sponsor the home of the Carolina Hurricanes and NC State men's basketball. NC State athletics receives about 11 percent of the $6 mil- lion annual payout from Lenovo, which amounts to roughly $600,000 to $700,000 annually. The jersey patch is slightly different since it's in the first year of being approved for use by the NCAA. As of late Au- gust, 23 Division I schools had announced jersey sponsorship deals. Some of those agreements encompassed every sport, while others were football-only. Values of the pacts ranged from SoFi's $18-20 million contract with Notre Dame to MSU Federal Credit Union's $40 million agreement with Michigan State for the next 10 years. No matter the value of what NC State could get for its own jersey patch — whether it's for all sports or just a few — it would be an added source of income that enables the athletics depart- ment to continue to compete in an escalating arms race. When the time comes for the Wolfpack to agree to a jersey patch deal or a naming rights partnership for Carter-Finley Stadium, Corrigan wants to make sure it's a relationship that runs deeper than just writing a check. He's looking for a com- pany that wants to be involved with the school on a deeper level. "We want someone that's willing to invest back into the university," Corrigan said. "It's great to put your name on the stadium, but what you really want is a partner. What does that mean? Does that mean internships for students? Does that mean a greater partnership with the university? "The idea of just putting a logo on a uniform without any- thing else is only so appealing, I would imagine it's only so appealing to the company as well. We want to figure out how deep of a relationship we can have with that company." Corrigan noted that it would "be great if it was a North Car- olina-based company" but NC State isn't putting any limits on its search. SAS, the Cary-based company led by Wolfpack alumnus Jim Goodnight, was reportedly interested in the naming rights deal, but that has since hit the back burner it appears. With the fall athletics season underway, it's unlikely that either sponsorship deal will be in effect until at least the next school year. It's all about timing and what makes sense for both parties. In the meantime, NC State knows where it stands in the current college athletics environment. It's asking many of its programs to do more with less compared to other teams around the country, and finding any way to close the financial gap is up to Corrigan and his critical role in driving revenue in Raleigh. The eighth-year athletics director is well aware of that fact. "You're fighting to do everything you can do to build your brand the best that you can to be as competitive as you can be, trying to be as creative as you can be to find ways to generate revenue," Corrigan said. "That's the name of the game, to a large degree right now, to generate as much revenue as you can." ■ Corrigan is seeking to boost NC State's athletics revenue by lining up a naming rights deal for Carter-Finley Stadium, as well as a jersey patch sponsorship. PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE ATHLETICS Boo Corrigan: Sponsorship Deals Require 'The Right Partner'