Texas could be flying toward a jersey patch and it's the last one anybody expected

H-E-B. Dell. Humann. St. David's HealthCare. Buc-ee's.

Any one of those popped into people's minds when it came to which company could possibly sponsor a jersey patch for the Texas Longhorns.

Almost nobody, if anybody at all, thought of Huntington Bank. Yet, here we are.

In a recent announcement from the University of Texas, the Longhorns have partnered with the bank, naming Huntington as the official bank sponsor of the athletic program.

The partnership will span 10 years, and Gate 8 at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium will be renamed "Huntington Bank Gate."

If you're curious, no, Huntington Bank didn't start in Austin. In fact, it started in none other than Columbus, Ohio, when it was founded as P.W. Huntington & Company in 1866.

However, while there was no mention of a jersey patch sponsorship, with how these deals have been rolling in from every direction, it shouldn't come as a surprise if a brand name like Huntington Bank is on the Longhorns' jerseys before anyone can bat an eye.

Could Huntington Bank be latest financial corporation to sponsor college jersey patches?

Huntington Bank wouldn't even be the first financial institution to pile on sponsorship money for a collegiate athletics program, or conference, this offseason.

The Ohio State Buckeyes inked a $17-million deal with JPMorgan Chase for a jersey patch sponsorship. The Illinois Fighting Illini signed one with Busey Bank. Michigan State signed one with MSU Federal Credit Union.

And this is just the beginning.

Again, when the Horns announced the partnership with Huntington Bank, Texas didn't make any mention of a jersey patch. In fact, the only evidence of the company's name at Campbell-Williams Field was on the big screen. Even North Dakota State signed one with Gate City Bank.

However, it also didn't show any physical evidence of Gate 8's name change.

Texas fans are almost entirely in agreement when it comes to the team's jerseys, which have stuck to tradition more strongly than any other program in the country: Longhorn Nation doesn't really want a change.

If anything, they would find it fun if Texas donned black accessories for one game a year, something that the Horns tried out a few times over the last decade. Fans want Texas and Texas A&M to both wear their home colors when they face each other in the Lone Star Showdown.

They don't want "Huntington Bank" on the chest of the jersey.

Ultimately, only time will tell if Texas Athletic Director Chris Del Conte throws up his hands and gives in to the impending doom of a jersey patch sponsor, but for now, fans can hope that it's only a gate that's seeing a change.

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