[DigitalToday reporter Jinju Hong] Ripple has signed a multi-year partnership with the University of Florida athletics department and will display the XRP logo at the stadium starting with the season opener on Sept. 5, local time, blockchain media outlet CoinPost reported.

Under the agreement, Ripple secured rights for stadium branding, exposure across digital media and on-site event signage. The University of Florida athletics department announced the partnership with Ripple on Sept. 4. The XRP logo will be posted at the stadium starting with Florida's 2026 season opener against Florida Atlantic University. The Associated Press cited an unnamed source as saying the deal will generate $5 million a year in revenue for the athletics department.

The partnership also includes support for education programmes beyond simple advertising exposure. Ripple plans to support finance and technology education covering traditional finance and digital assets for student athletes and the campus community. It is structured to link university sports sponsorship to expanded engagement on campus rather than limiting it to brand exposure.

Scott Stricklin (스콧 스트릭린), the University of Florida athletic director, said the school has actively adopted innovation and technology for a long time to enhance the fan experience and develop its programmes. He said Ripple has established itself as an innovative leader in financial technology and added he was pleased that Gator Nation will welcome XRP.

The University of Florida athletics department supports 21 teams and more than 500 student athletes. The university explained it is the only U.S. university that has ranked in the top 10 every year in nationwide standings across all sports for the past 42 years. For Ripple, it amounts to partnering with a programme with high exposure even within university sports.

Ripple's sponsorship of U.S. university sports is not a first. Ripple also signed a multi-year sponsorship agreement with the University of Kansas athletics department in July. That deal included placing the XRP logo in the stadium and on uniforms. It also drew attention because XRP was the first cryptocurrency adopted on university uniforms. Brad Garlinghouse (브래드 갈링하우스), Ripple's chief executive officer, is a University of Kansas alumnus.

A change in U.S. university sports advertising rules is behind the trend. The National Collegiate Athletic Association allowed corporate advertising at university stadiums and other venues in 2024. Previously, universities were prohibited from paying athletes directly under amateurism principles, but that environment has changed.

In particular, after the House v. NCAA lawsuit, college athletic departments can directly pay cash to individual athletes, increasing the need to secure funding. As a result, universities are becoming more aggressive in expanding advertising and sponsorships. In this environment, Ripple is sponsoring the University of Florida and the University of Kansas in succession and using U.S. university sports as a new channel for brand exposure.