US LBM teams up with college football
USA TODAY Sports launched the 2023 US LBM Coaches Poll in conjunction with the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA). For over 25 years, USA TODAY Sports has partnered with the AFCA to publish weekly rankings of the top 25 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Men’s Football teams throughout the regular college football season. The poll will be sponsored through the 2026 football season by US LBM, a leading, national distributor of specialty building materials to professional builders.
US LBM President and CEO L.T. Gibson described the cultural fit: “Teamwork, leadership and building communities are essential to both US LBM and college football, and we are incredibly excited to partner with the American Football Coaches Association and USA TODAY for the weekly US LBM Coaches Poll and to be the presenting sponsor of the National Championship Trophy.”
The US LBM Coaches Poll is voted on by a panel of AFCA-member Division I head coaches that are chosen by random draw from a pool of coaches willing to participate. Each coach submits a Top 25 team ranking weekly, with a first-place vote worth 25 points, second place worth 24 points, and so forth. The coaches ranking results are published by USA TODAY Sports online on Sundays and in print on Mondays during the college football season.
As part of their new entitlement sponsorship, US LBM will present the US LBM AFCA Coaches’ Trophy to the Division I men’s football team that receives the highest point total from the coaching panel in the final poll of the season in January. The US LBM AFCA Coaches’ Trophy will also be a part of a national trophy tour starting in the ’24-’25 season, visiting various college and universities on game day, interacting with fans.
The sponsorship was organized by Independent Sports and Entertainment (ISE), a leading representation, management, sales, consulting, and marketing agency in conjunction with USA TODAY.
“Finding the right partner for the AFCA Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY Sports and AFCA Coaches’ Trophy was key. And we've found that partner in US LBM,” says Owen Shull, Executive Vice President and Head of ISE Properties division. “ISE Properties spans sports and entertainment properties nationwide; however, our industry-leading expertise in college athletics is what has allowed for entitlements like this.”
