CELSIUS is expanding its Learfield partnership into three new schools while broadening its presence across sports, athletes, media and live fan experiences.

College sports has become one of the most active areas of the sponsorship market, with brands increasingly looking for ways to connect with younger audiences through the teams, athletes and traditions that shape campus culture. Some of the biggest recent deals have centered on highly visible new inventory, particularly jersey patches. But CELSIUS is taking a broader approach.

The energy drink challenger is expanding its partnership with Learfield to activate across seven college campuses, adding the University of Louisville, University of Texas and Vanderbilt University to existing partnerships with the U.S. Air Force Academy, University of Colorado Boulder, University of Oregon and University of Washington.

The move gives CELSIUS a larger footprint across college sports while expanding the ways the brand can connect with students, athletes and fans—from game-day activations to women's and Olympic sports, student-athlete partnerships and national college football media.

This broader college push comes as CELSIUS continues to build a significant sponsorship footprint among beverage brands. SponsorUnited data shows CELSIUS leads the category in total sponsorship spend across a dozen deals, putting the fast-growing brand ahead of several other established and challenger beverage brands. With three new college partnerships now joining its portfolio, CELSIUS is continuing to expand that footprint across the sports and fan experiences that matter most to younger consumers.

For brand marketers, it offers a look at how a challenger brand can build scale in college sports without relying on a single marquee sponsorship asset.

Seven Campuses, More Ways to Show Up

CELSIUS first partnered with Learfield in 2023, using college athletics to establish a presence around football and basketball game days. Now entering its fourth year with its original four athletic programs, the brand is adding three more schools and expanding its presence across the seven athletic departments. That includes increased visibility in volleyball, baseball, softball and hockey, broadening the partnership beyond the sports that traditionally attract the largest sponsorship investments.

The strategy creates more opportunities for CELSIUS to remain visible throughout the academic year while connecting with different fan communities within each athletic department. For marketers, that breadth is significant. A college sports partnership doesn't have to begin and end with football season. Expanding across sports can create more touchpoints with fans while giving a brand additional opportunities to associate itself with the broader campus experience.

Turning Sponsorship Into a Fan Experience

CELSIUS will also bring its On Campus Fan Fest to each of the seven schools on select game days. The activations are scheduled around some of college football's biggest matchups, including Texas vs. Ohio State, Oregon vs. Michigan, Louisville vs. Pitt and Vanderbilt vs. Tennessee. That gives CELSIUS a physical presence in the moments surrounding the game—not simply an in-venue logo or sponsorship designation.

For an energy drink brand, that distinction can be particularly valuable. The Fan Fest activations give CELSIUS an opportunity to put the product and brand experience directly in front of fans before kickoff, creating a more tangible connection between sponsorship and consumer engagement.

It's also a model that can be replicated across campuses while still allowing the experience to feel connected to each school's individual fan base.

The Strategy Extends Beyond the Athletic Department

The Learfield expansion is only one part of CELSIUS' growing college sports presence.

The brand recently announced its 2026 student-athlete influencer roster, featuring four college football standouts: Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood, Oregon quarterback Dante Moore, Ohio State wide receiver Chris Henry Jr. and Texas wide receiver Cam Coleman.

It has also become the Official Energy Drink Sponsor of ESPN's College GameDay, connecting the brand to one of college football's most recognizable national media platforms.

Together, those investments create several distinct ways for CELSIUS to reach college sports audiences:

• Schools provide the campus and fan connection.
• Athletes provide individual voices and personalities.
• Fan activations create physical brand experiences.
• Media provides national visibility around the biggest moments in the sport.

That combination makes the strategy broader than a traditional college sponsorship. CELSIUS is building a network of touchpoints around the college sports ecosystem.

A Challenger Brand Building Cultural Relevance

The approach is particularly notable given CELSIUS' position in the beverage market.

Rather than entering college sports as an established legacy beverage brand with decades of existing consumer recognition, CELSIUS has used the space as part of its broader effort to build relevance with active, younger consumers.

College sports offers a natural environment for that strategy. The audience isn't just watching a game; it's participating in a campus culture built around teams, rivalries, traditions and shared experiences.

CELSIUS can tap into that culture through multiple entry points, from a Saturday afternoon Fan Fest to a student-athlete partnership or a national broadcast.

The Learfield relationship also provides the infrastructure to scale that strategy. Learfield says its platform has ties to more than 1,200 collegiate institutions and 12,000 local and national brand partners, giving brands access to a broad network across college athletics.

For a challenger brand, that combination of scale and local relevance can be particularly useful: a national strategy can still be activated through individual schools, teams, athletes and fan communities.

What Brand Marketers Can Take From CELSIUS' College Strategy

CELSIUS' expansion is another sign that the college sports sponsorship opportunity extends well beyond the most visible pieces of inventory.

For marketers, the strategy highlights several ways to build a college sports presence:

• Expand across campuses: A portfolio of schools can create broader reach than a single-team partnership.
• Go beyond football: Women's and Olympic sports can open additional audiences and opportunities throughout the year.
• Build around athletes: Student-athletes can add personality and individual influence to a broader sponsorship strategy.
• Create physical experiences: Fan Fests and other activations can turn sponsorship visibility into direct consumer engagement.
• Connect sponsorship to media: National platforms such as College GameDay can extend the reach of investments made at the campus level.
• Think beyond individual assets: The strongest opportunity may come from connecting multiple touchpoints rather than relying on one piece of inventory.

College sports is attracting brands because of the depth of the audience relationship—not simply because of what's available on a uniform or inside a stadium.

CELSIUS' latest expansion demonstrates what that can look like for a challenger brand: seven campuses, multiple sports, student-athletes, live experiences and national media working together as one broader college sports strategy.