Back to School: Looking Back and Moving Forward with College Football Cards

Five years ago, Panini America became the exclusive licensed trading card manufacturer of more than 400 colleges and universities through an exclusive deal with the Collegiate Licensing Company. Several school-focused multiport sets were released, followed by 2015 Contenders Draft Picks and 2015 Prizm Draft Picks—the company’s first college-only football card products. The licensing agreement coincided with the formation of the College Football Playoff, adding even more excitement and legitimacy to college cards. Prior to 2015, the “draftpicks products,” as they typically were referred to as, essentially filled the gap in the NFL card product calendar, which begins each year around…