Buffalo Wild Wings wants one partner for the best NIL deal ever

Buffalo Wild Wings wants one partner for the best NIL deal ever originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Buffalo Wild Wings might have just given one college football program an absolute gift. In the short existence of Name, Image and Likeness within college football, there may be no better branding opportunity than this one.

College football is following the lead of other sports and in doing so, creating a new source of revenue. In one form or another, MLB, NBA, NHL, WNBA, NWSL, International soccer, and now college football will or have worn company sponsorship logo patches on their jerseys.

As of today, Arkansas, LSU and UNLV have already signed partnership deals with large companies which will result in branded patches worn on jerseys. From the evidence of other sports, these companies are not limited to any certain business model or type.

Buffalo Wild Wings is the second largest chicken wing restaurant chain behind only Wing Stop in the United States. They have also over time built themselves into a live sports venue bringing droves of people into their locations for anything from March Madness to Bowl season to MMA pay-per-view fights.

Buffalo Wild Wings proposed a new idea that demands consideration.

Buffalo Wild Wings and the Colorado Buffaloes is a perfect pairing

The official Buffalo Wilds Wings account quote tweeted that post with only three words. 

you up @CUBuffs? https://t.co/mW7Cse4WKz

— Buffalo Wild Wings (@BWWings) March 4, 2026

As of this moment, there has been no official comment from CU Athletic Director Fernando Lovo, former and transitioning Athletic Director Rick George, or head football coach Deion Sanders.

The marketing writes itself

The concept is simple. Buffalo Wild Wings is an American staple around popular sporting events. They even sponsored the 2016 Citrus Bowl. There has probably not been a premier college football game, college basketball game, NFL football game, or NBA basketball game that has not included at least one Buffalo Wild Wings commercial.

Then there’s what “B-Dubs” has already been doing. In recent years, the wing company has been using… a winged Buffalo in their ad campaign. “Hank” the overly enthusiastic and oversized buffalo with wings has been the restaurants’ primary ad campaign mascot since 2023. However, the Buffalo has been their mascot and in their imaging since the company’s founding in 1982.

If the restaurant chain and the University of Colorado were to come to some sort of partnership, the marketing possibilities are endless. The chain’s colors are already black and gold (yellow). Hank is a realistic looking buffalo. Chip, the student in a mascot suit for Colorado is almost a cartoonish impression of a buffalo. Then there’s the Buffaloes actual live mascot, Ralphie. Who is a living breathing actual buffalo.

Among the many ideas the immediately come to mind is one over all the others. A computer generated "Hank" running alongside Ralphie during "Run Ralphie Run" before a home game. Again, the marketing writes itself. 

This could also help address an immediate concern

The Colorado Buffaloes have a revenue issue in 2026. First reported here on December 2nd, 2025, the Colorado athletic department forecasted a $27M deficit for the fiscal year that ends in June of 2026.

While the Arkansas/Tyson Foods deal places most of that revenue into the hands of the players via NIL, Colorado could use a Buffalo Wild Wings partnership in the early going to combat that $27M deficit.

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The Tyson deal is lucrative, but as John Tyson told CBS, “It’s not a $100M, lets put it that way”. The official details of the deal have not been revealed, but Learfield CEO Cole Gahagan told CBS the valuation will range between $500k and $12M annually.  The higher end of that, in a BWW deal would cut Colorado’s financial issue in half in 2026.

A CU-BWW connection that is less than 2 years old

A possible partnership between the Colorado Buffaloes and Buffalo Wild Wings would not even be the first time in recent memory the restaurant chain was involved in Colorado Buffaloes' interest.

On July 20^th, 2024, future Heisman Trophy winner and Colorado Buffalo Travis Hunter held an NIL event at a Buffalo Wild Wings at Walnut Creek in Broomfield Colorado. A short drive southeast of the Boulder campus. I was fortunate enough to cover that event and can report the event was an incredible success and Buffalo Wild Wings was a great host.

During that event, in association with Rock ‘Em Socks, Hunter wore a Buffalo Wild Wings ‘sauce inspired’ t-shirt that was available for purchase at the event and via Hunter's Rock Em Socks NIL website.

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While Hunter is no longer an active Buffalo, there is a connection. A previous experience that should suggest this is a worthwhile opportunity to pursue. If the University of Colorado, Fernando Lovo, and/or Coach Prime do not take full advantage of this partnership possibility, it could be the largest missed opportunity during the Coach Prime era. 

Head football coach Deion Sanders has often been referred to as a marketing genius. Maybe the only college football coach with that secondary title. It would be completely illogical to assume Sanders won't have some interest in this idea. 

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• ESPN's Pat McAfee calls BS on Caleb Downs rumor from NFL Combine
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