Chris ‘Mad Dog’ Russo eviscerates Notre Dame SoFi jersey patch deal
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If you were disgusted at the Notre Dame uniform addition of the SoFi sponsorship patch, well, you’re not alone! Chris “Mad Dog” Russo despised the deal and what it did to the traditional program of the Fighting Irish!
The six-year deal with SoFi is worth $18-20 million annually, following suit of Ohio State’s jersey patch deal with Chase across all athletics. Russo was totally fine with Ohio State, but Notre Dame!
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“What Notre Dame is doing right now with this patch with SoFi and getting 18 million dollars? Let Ohio State do it. Who cares about Ohio State? Ohio State. Nobody looks at Ohio. They’re a football factory. We understand Ohio State. They’re great, but it’s a football factory,” Russo said on First Take. “That’s what Ohio State is. They do things like that. Notre Dame … there’s more of an accountability. It’s the Fighting Irish. It’s Knute Rockne. It’s 1934 … It’s Lou Holtz. It’s everybody.”
Russo then pointed at the television on set showing black and white clips of Notre Dame football, including Rockne on the screen. A traditionalist when it comes to his sports fandom, Russo loves the old school, traditional pageantry of the Irish, not NIL era football.
“This is Notre Dame. That’s right here. This is Notre Dame football. That is South Bend, National Championship, this is what I’m referring to,” Russo said. “And they’re gonna sit there and wear that asinine SoFi patch because of a couple of dollars? Enough of the patch.
“The same Notre Dame that did nothing but scream and yell last year of how they got buried with the (playoff) committee not getting into the … top 12, which they shouldn’t have gotten in. The committee did a great job. They moaned and groaned about that, and so to pay us back, they’re going to wear a patch and get paid $18 million. Give me a break! I’m embarrassed, and I have a daughter that went to Notre Dame!”
SoFi will be the official financial services partner of Notre Dame Athletics and the first non-apparel brand to appear on jersey patches across all Fighting Irish uniforms. The partnership will also introduce the SoFi Champions Scholarship, a scholarship program dedicated to walk-on student-athletes, annually recognizing one men’s and one women’s student-athlete who exemplify ambition, resilience, leadership and service.
This announcement came as the Notre Dame football team prepares for the 2026 season. In 2025, the Fighting Irish finished 10-2 and opted out of playing in a bowl game after not being selected for the College Football Playoff.
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