YellaWood and its parent company, Great Southern Wood Preserving, agreed to a significant sponsorship deal with Auburn University to have the brand's name displayed. One Tigers legend will have his name displayed.
On3's Justin Hokanson explained AU's gesture to four-time SEC Championship head football coach Pat Dye on Wednesday.
"Sources tell AuburnSports the deal will be a five-year, eight-figure deal. The logo will feature the words “Pat Dye Field” with the Yellawood logo below it. Sources tell AuburnSports that Rane wanted Pat Dye’s recognition to be larger than the YellaWood logo," Hokanson wrote.
"Estimates over the past year have corporate field sponsorships priced between $2 million and $6 million annually. Sources tell AuburnSports that the YellaWood deal falls roughly in the middle.
"Sources confirm to AuburnSports the field-logo deal will direct significant money to Auburn football’s NIL efforts. NCAA president Charlie Baker spoke on the subject last summer."
Jimmy Rane, dubbed the "YellaFella" by the Auburn Family, has been highly scrutinized for his involvement with the program over the years. But with this monster donation, it's clear the AU alum loves his alma mater.
And he stuck the landing further honoring Dye, who was memorialized on the Bermuda grass at 251 S Donahue Dr, known affectionately these days as "Pat Dye Field."
In the NIL arm's race, partnerships like YellaWood's are crucial for Auburn to compete on a national scale. There will be few years, if no years, where the Tigers are outspending schools from the Big Ten, like the Michigan Wolverines, Ohio State Buckeyes, and Oregon Ducks. Even the USC Trojans appear poised to spend big in 2026 with the No. 2 recruiting class. And the Note Dame Fighting Irish's large network can't be discounted.
Auburn can't outspend everyone, but YellaWood is part of the reason Hugh Freeze has been able to recruit so well, a few blips here and there be damned, since arriving in East Central Alabama.
We'll see what more AU and YellaWood have in store for their partnership's future.