The Collegiate Licensing Company has partnered with Panini America to develop trading cards for CLC's nearly 200 partner institutions including Alabama, Florida State, the University of Michigan and Texas A&M.

The exclusive, multi-year deal also aligns rights with professional player associations for the first time in five years, giving schools the ability to utilize current professional players in their college uniforms on trading cards. Panini will use the schools' team logos and university marks in its trading card products for college-dedicated trading card sets, as well as its professionally licensed products for the NBA, NFL, NFL Players Inc. and MLBPA. 

The CLC deal is in addition to Panini's previously announced exclusive relationships with the University of Oregon, University of Texas, Mississippi State, Baylor University, University of Georgia, University of Kentucky, University of Miami and more than 200 additional universities. 

The company will begin producing collegiate trading card products in the spring of 2015.

"Since entering the U.S. market in 2009, Panini has quickly become a leader in the trading card category in understanding consumers and developing unique programs for its partners," says Dave Kirkpatrick, vice president of non-apparel brand management, CLC, the licensing affiliate of IMG College. "Panini's management team is committed to growing the college category and using their resources and distribution capabilities to benefit our partner institutions."