2017 NCAA Uniform Recap

The summer is tough for any sports fan, with few athletic events in action. That is even more true for college athletic fans, and even more so for football fans. But the summer isn’t completely dry of all action, as this is the time that teams reveal their new uniform plans for the upcoming season. With athletic uniforms becoming more of a big deal than ever, more teams join the party each year. This large undertaking, documenting each uniform change made public prior to the beginning of the season, is one of my favorite projects each year. Last year’s edition saw over 115 teams listed. This year, the list has topped 120. The teams listed below have announced a range of the smallest changes to full out new uniforms. A few things before we dive in to the individual teams:

Tip: If you use Google Chrome as your browser, install the HoverZoom+ plugin. This post has over three hundred hyperlinked images to properly showcase all the changes. HoverZoom makes your browsing experience much better and enjoyable.

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There are two new helmets on the market now. The first is the Schutt F7. Schutt, along with Michael Princip, have developed a new helmet model to hopefully help cut down on the risk of head injuries and concussions. The F7 features plates that detach from the shell completely. The padded plates can be removed and replaced easily if needed. The helmet isn’t the most aesthetically appealing model on the market, as the ridges on the top run where a typical helmet stripe would be placed. Teams can take two approaches to this – cut the stripe or run the stripe over the gaps. We have seen teams take both approaches with the Riddell SpeedFlex the last couple of years. UniWatch has a great breakdown of the helmet and an interview with Princip, whose ideas led to the development of the helmet. Schutt predicts that about 60 NFL and collegiate teams will sport the new helmet this season. Per the Schutt Twitter account, some teams have “only a few, others a dozen” of the helmet.

The other helmet, the Vicis Zero1, is a little different. Vicis is a company that was born out of the NFL’s concussion prevention campaign, which has handed out grants to companies to help develop a new, safer helmet. The Vicis helmets are a complete rethinking of the traditional helmet. The Zero1 features a “softer” outer shell with multiple layers of protection underneath. The Vicis Zero1 helmet currently costs teams about $1,500 a piece, so it will certainly see a slower rollout than competitors.

Nike revealed their newest template, the Vapor Untouchable, in December of 2015. Naturally, Oregon was the first to wear it, sporting the new look for their Alamo Bowl game. The template has been very popular, as the entire jersey is simplified to three different pieces, rather than the many panels sewn together as on the previous templates. Rather than having a separate material for the mesh and solid pieces, the air holes are laser cut, reducing weight and other scientific blah-blah that Nike likes to force into their press releases. What you need to know about it is that it’s a much cleaner look overall. Also, the biggest “design” difference is that you won’t be seeing the highly unsightly “sweat boxes” that appear much darker than the rest of the jersey after a player has perspired. The majority of Nike teams, especially the power five schools, have changed to the new template.

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Now on to the teams, broken down by conference:

American Athletic 

1. Navy
   • The Naval Academy has updated their uniforms this season. The first Under Armour set from a few years ago placed stripes representing the six active Naval fleets horizontally across the chest. The stripes have been moved to the shoulders and pants. The stripes sit on a blue field on the white jerseys, which contrast well. I liked the previous set fine, but these are also really nice.
2. Tulane
   • 

     Angry Wave is just perfection. (image via Tulane Football)

     ANGRY WAVE ALERT!! Perhaps my new favorite college logo, Tulane will be placing the Angry Wave logo at midfield on their turf field.

3. Tulsa
   • Tulsa has a new turf field this year with a slightly different look. The new endzones have stacked “Golden Hurricanes” whereas the previous design did not.
4. UCF
   • A lot of small details out of Orlando. A team spokesperson told UniWatch that the team will have dozens of potential combinations this season, and plans to wear a different combination each week. There will also be multiple different nose bumper decals. One will feature the player’s home area code, one for military appreciation, and one for the different sides of the ball – UCFast for the offense, and UCFierce for the defense.

ACC

1. Clemson
   • The defending national champions have joined the long list of teams with the Nike Vapor Untouchable. This marks the third different template Clemson has worn in the last three years.
2. Florida State
   • Florida State has updated templates as well. We haven’t seen the game jerseys as of yet, but the retail versions showcase the upgrade.
3. Georgia Tech
   • The lone Power 5 team sticking with Russell Athletics will be looking for a new uniform provider after this season. It seems as though Russell is dropping out of the collegiate uniform business, so the Yellow Jackets will be taking bids this winter for a new provider.
     

     Miami has added green jerseys and pants this season. (image via adidas)

4. Miami
   • After reverting to a more traditional design last season, Miami will be breaking out the alternate uniforms this year. A new green set, dubbed “State of Miami,” will be worn on September 23^rd versus Toledo. The “Miami Nights” all black uniforms will be saved for the October 12^th matchup against Georgia Tech. The green jerseys look great. I think the green pants are a little much, though. I honestly don’t hate the black uniforms, aside from the helmet. The black jerseys look good to me (which I don’t say often for BFBS uniforms), but the helmets feel unnecessary, even though the white helmet would be even more out of place. I think the worst part to me is the green stripe almost gets lost on the black shells. Yea, it matches the jersey and pant stripes, but I think white somewhere on the helmet striping would have improved this look.
5. North Carolina
   • The home of Michael Jordan will be sporting the Jordan Brand on more than just the basketball uniforms. A year after Michigan was the first football team to ever wear the Jumpman logo, UNC joins the ranks. The template itself is simply Nike’s Vapor Untouchable with the Swoosh logo swapped with the legendary basketball logo. The uniform design stays the same, which is a great thing, as the Tar Heels hold one of the best designs in the current landscape of collegiate uniforms. Also, a new navy set of jerseys and pants are available. This is another good decision, as that eliminates the need for an all black uniform. The Tar Heels will also be sporting new 3D Bumpers on the back of their helmets. UNC will continue to look good this year, especially on the newest template.
     

     UNC’s great uniforms are now on a new template and have the Jordan logo on the chest. (image via Nike)

6. North Carolina St
   • NC State is celebrating 125 years of football, and will be wearing helmet decals with the commemorative logo. The Wolfpack also has another new black alternate uniform, dubbed “Black Howl” this year. Laughable name aside, the design isn’t terrible. It’s not great, but it could be better if it weren’t for the typical adidas design aspects – Shockweb tiretreads, chrome/tinfoil numbers and stripes. The shoulder stripes look awfully similar to the 2012 SMU uniforms, but I think they look good (of course without the adidas crap). I love seeing the old school Wolf logo on the helmet. A team spokesperson said that it will be worn a few times this year, in addition to the black helmets.
7.  Pitt
   • Pitt revealed new uniforms last year and thankfully reclaimed the much better their wonderful script logo. Nike and Pitt are currently working on creating a new secondary logo (presumably a new cougar) and the possibility of changing the school’s colors from the current navy and dark gold to the older lighter blue and yellow gold.
8. Virginia Tech
   • The Hokies are celebrating 125 years of football this season. They have added new 3D back bumpers to match the front.

 

Big 12

• Iowa State

The Cyclones are looking to revamp their image. According to head coach Matt Campbell, “I can tell you our entire image will change here shortly.” No word if that will come during the 2017 season or in future years.

• Oklahoma

New Nike template for the Sooners. There are rumors that Oklahoma may have more alternates in store this season.

• TCU

TCU joins the long list of teams with the new template. The Horned Frogs will also wear 3D Bumpers on the front and back of the helmets.

• Texas

The Longhorns have upgraded Nike templates

• Texas Tech

Small change for the Red Raiders, as the team has dumped their custom font. The jerseys and turf now feature a more traditional block font, which is much more pleasing.

Big Ten

• Illinois

The Illini have removed the striping from the helmets. I liked the striping, but think this might be addition by subtracting. The school has also scrapped their academic logo, going all in on the block I logo. Apparently the University of Illinois school system had over 800 logos at one point.

• Indiana

Small change for Indiana, as the font for the player nameplates has changed. The new font is the same that was previously used on the candy cane striped uniforms. The old font was an adidas font that was much more rounded.

• Iowa

The Hawkeyes have a new midfield logo on their turf. Funny enough, it breaks the school’s own brand standards, having the black logo placed on a dark background. The Hawkeyes will also reportedly have some sort of alternate uniforms in store this season.

• Maryland
  

  New white helmets for the Spartans. (image via Michigan State Athletics)

The Terrapins have a new logo to celebrate their 125^th season of football. Maryland has also revealed a new uniform for the season. They are gold throwback jerseys with horizontal stripes on the chest, black pants, and feature player numbers on the helmet, rather similar to last year’s throwbacks.

• Michigan

The first Jordan Brand team has updated to Nike’s Vapor Untouchable template.

• Michigan State

The Spartans have updated templates, moving to the Vapor Untouchable. The new pants feature a similar stripe to the old set, but now reach to the top of the pants. I think if you are going to have the odd cutoff like Michigan State does, you might as well truncate the stripe on both ends. Also, the Spartans will be wearing all white for the first time since 1954. Apparently white helmets are considered bad luck for MSU, so this might not go over very well.

• Minnesota

Once wearing anthracite alternate uniforms, the Golden Gophers haven’t worn a different uniform in a while. That will reportedly change this year, as a new anthracite uniform is in the works.

•  Nebraska
  

  Nebraska has faux-mesh numbers on their throwbacks. (image via adidas)

Nebraska isn’t new to the alternate uniform world under adidas. They have worn a different uniform for the last few years. This season’s alternate is much tamer than previous designs. To celebrate the 20^th anniversary of their latest national championship, Nebraska has special jerseys that have mesh-like numbers. The numbers, naturally, are meant to represent the old manufacturing style used in the 1990s. The old school sleeve stripes are also now available on a base layer shirt. The biggest mistake is that the sleeve numbers weren’t actually mesh, as the shoulder yoke and the body of the jersey were made of two different materials.

• Ohio State

The Buckeyes have moved on to the newest Nike template. Ohio State will also be one of four teams using special game balls with sublimated graphics. Buckeye leaves and the O-State logo will don one panel of the football.

• Penn State

One of the traditional uniform teams, Penn State will be wearing throwback uniforms. The changes are small enough that a casual fan might not notice a change, but there is plenty to discuss. The team will be wearing grey facemasks and player numbers on the helmets. The jersey features white sleeve cuffs, a slightly different number font, and a blue-on-blue logo on the chest. A stripe is also added to the pants, and the socks will also be striped.

•  Rutgers

After a rather successful redesign a few years back, Rutgers has completely jumped off the Nike ship and swam directly to adidas. The new uniforms are rather similar to a previous Rutgers set, just placed on the latest adidas template (which is actually rather outdated at this point). A New Jersey state patch has been added to the back of the jerseys, just below the collar. Much like the Nike set, a black uniform set is available, featuring the alternate knight logo on the helmets.

• Wisconsin

Another team celebrating a big milestone, the Badgers have a new logo for 100 years of their stadium. They will also have new game balls this year with the logo sublimated on one of the panels. They are one of four teams with special sublimated footballs this season.

 

Conference USA

• Marshall

After adding new articles the last few years, Marshall now has a new white jersey and set of black pants. The white tops match the green and black worn in previous years, with contrasting shoulder caps featuring the M logo (which seems rather low, no?). With these new additions, the Thundering Herd have a base of nine different combinations. The team still plans to wear their American flag design helmets and 75 memorial decals, which means Marshall may not repeat a combination this year. They will also be adding player names on the backs after going NNOB for years.

• Middle Tennessee

MTSU has revealed new uniforms set on the new Nike template. The old catalog-picked design with contrasting shoulder caps and pants stripe are gone, and another catalog-chosen design is in. The new uniforms are incredibly simple, featuring a single color across the jersey and pants, in both blue and white. The collars are grey on both sets, meant to “embrace the Middle Tennessee brand,” whatever that means. The pants both have “RAIDERS” on the leg, which blends in too much on the whites to even be seen.

• North Texas

The Mean Green have revealed a new set of uniforms for the season. A new set of green, white, and black uniforms feature a nice sublimated pattern on the shoulder caps that draw inspiration from the school’s logo.

• Rice

The Owls have a new set of logos, and the jerseys have been updated to reflect the change. The new wordmark now sits front and center. The new logos look good, but I will miss the Old English style font. Per Uni-Watch, Rice will once again wear their special helmet decals – USA flag and pink – this season. The pink will appear for a game in October, while the flag design will be worn on October 7^th versus Army.

• Southern Miss

The Golden Eagles have a new gold jersey that matches the black and white tops. Also, Southern Miss will be sporting some beautiful 1997-inspired throwbacks this year.

• UAB

With #TheReturn of UAB football, the Blazers have signed a new deal with Under Armour, who has also recently opened a field office in downtown Birmingham. The new uniforms are actually rather similar to the Nike uniforms worn the last season of play. The jerseys have contrasting colored shoulder caps, but feature a better number font. The shoulders have a lightly sublimated pattern. The helmets see the biggest change, as the beloved dragon scale helmets are no more. Instead, UAB will be using simple white or gold shells with the dragon logo. A few concept helmets have floated around, but I personally think these will not see the field. ESPN’s Marty Smith has stated that UAB might use the green helmets one day, but I suspect they would be drastically different than pictured. You can read even more about the new uniforms here.

• Western Kentucky

With Russell Athletics seemingly exiting the collegiate uniform producer role, Western Kentucky has signed on with Nike. The new uniforms aren’t a big departure from the last design, but are certainly much simpler. The jerseys are plain white and red, and the pants feature the team nickname on the white pants. The black pants look much better without the team name. Oddly enough, WKU isn’t wearing the Vapor Untouchable template, instead going with the Vapor Pro, which is a hybrid of the Untouchable and the old Mach Speed template. The Pro is being offered mostly to lower tiered collegiate teams and high schools.

 

MAC

The MAC will be following the SEC’s lead from last year and be honoring those players that have graduated but still have eligibility left by special graduate patches.

• Akron

A few items regarding Akron from UniWatch: The team will wear throwback helmets for their homecoming game against Ball State on October 7^th. The helmet will be different than last year’s design. Last year, the Zips wore helmets that featured a full body kangaroo, named “Roo,” on the sides. They will once again wear the “Full Roo” helmets, but again, in a different style from last year.

• Ball State

The Cardinals have a new helmet option – an all black shell with an oversized logo on one side, and the school wordmark on the others. It’s not a great look, but at least it isn’t a player number. Ball State also has a new pair of black pants that will most likely be paired with all three jersey sets. The all black set will be worn on November 21^st against Miami (OH).

• Bowling Green

For the second year in a row, Bowling Green will wear special military appreciation helmets. These are different than most, as the logos and stripes will have the names of University students that died serving their country. I don’t like military appreciation or any other “special cause” uniforms, but I love the way the Falcons make it connect back to the school. Last year’s helmets were orange, whereas this year’s are brown with chrome orange facemasks.

• Eastern Michigan

Some programs like to take on an image and stick with it. That holds true with the Eastern Michigan Eagles. They have added a diamond-plate “tough” look to their uniforms the last few years, and more comes this year. The Eagles will be wearing “Factory Steel” slate grey alternate helmets this season. The back bumpers of the helmets feature a nice factory skyline. Eastern Michigan also has a new white jersey, complete with diamond-plate numbers. The previous white set had eagle wings on the shoulders.

• Kent State

New turf field has been installed for the Golden Flashes. The midfield logo is larger than previous years, and the endzones are colored.

• Ohio

Another team leaving Russell Athletics, Ohio has signed on with adidas. Thankfully, the uniforms are rather unchanged. The great shoulder stripes are still in place, albeit a much smaller size.

• Toledo

The Rockets have changed from Under Armour to Nike. The new uniforms are a massive downgrade, going from a nice look with Under Armour to a basic, catalog design. The shoulder stripes are similar to the old Arizona uniforms. Toledo will also sadly stick with their multiple not-so-great helmet options.

• Western Michigan

With PJ Fleck leaving for Minnesota and taking his infamous and trademarked “Row the Boat” phrase with him, Western Michigan needed to replace the uniforms that Fleck left his mark on. Say goodbye to the boat ores and hello to some beautiful shoulder stripes. The game jerseys look similar to what the Broncos have been practicing with. There is still more to come for WMU, as black jerseys, brown jersey, and a different white jersey coming. New head coach Tim Lester let the team decide what they wanted to wear on the chest – “Western Michigan,” “Broncos,” “WMU.” The players decided to have one of each. This will also be the first year since before Fleck was coach that the team will have gold pants. There will also be three different helmets to mix and match with.

 

Mountain West

• Air Force

To commemorate the beginning of the Air Force, the football team will be wearing a special 70^th anniversary patch for their October 14^th game against UNLV.

• Boise State
  

  The striping pattern on Boise’s new jerseys (image via Idaho Statesman)

It’s been a while since Boise has seen new uniforms, which makes this new design much more intriguing. The previous set was rather bland, with no striping and just off-white/chrome numbering. I really like the striping used on the shoulders, but it feels off to have them only there. I think keeping the striping and adding it somewhere to the pants would have been a much better way to complete the look. The biggest downfall is that the Broncos will continue to sport the old helmet design, with the oversized logo on one side (which looks good) and player number on the opposite (which doesn’t).

• Colorado State

The Rams have a new turf field design. I like the stripes located on the player bench area, but not sure how often they will be seen. The team also is the first to add specific branding to one helmet model. The Riddell RevoSpeed has a small rubber piece just behind the facemask on the sides. Most teams remove this piece, and leave It blank for the season. Colorado State, instead, will be placing custom decals here to make sure you know which team you are watching.

• Hawaii

Hawaii will be sporting new matte green helmets this season. They had previously worn white and glossy green helmets, so expect to see all three in rotation. The school also announced that they will be a full Under Armour school starting this year. The five year deal is worth just over $10.2 million.

• Nevada
  

  Nevada has gone simple with their new uniforms. (image via Nevada Athletics)

Last year, Nevada spoke about the inability to update uniforms every so often due to budget concerns. This year, the Wolf Pack has their new uniforms. Gone is the dated UCONN/Miami look and in is a verysimple, plain design. “Battle Born” dons the side of the leg. It’s interesting to see the team wearing the school name on the road jerseys, and the teamnickname on the homes. This is typically used in baseball and basketball, and not many football teams follow this route. The helmets feature asymmetric decals, with team script on the right and the logo on the left.

• San Jose State

The Spartans have scrapped one of my favorite designs in favor to join adidas. From what we have seen so far, the jersey design won’t be changed too much, other than the Shockweb 2.0 template. I hope they return the yellow pants from the last few seasons. Oddly enough (and not too entirely uncommon in the lower ranks), San Jose State had been wearing their now-old Nike jerseys during practice until the adidas practice tops came in. You do what you have to do when budgets are tight.

• UNLV

UNLV released a new logo this summer to replace the old Rebel head logo. The logo looks good, and came with a ton of symbolism. The new logo was never well received, called “controversial” by some, and was eventually scrapped altogether.

 

Pac 12

• Arizona

A few years sporting the red and blue rainbow design, Arizona has moved on to a newer look. Unfortunately, the new uniforms are more similar to the previous look. The best design is the white jersey, which features a nice balance of red and blue. The shoulder stripes also have this odd faux-mesh pattern for some reason. The worst part of the redand blue jerseys is the lack of white. White would have cleaned up both looks so much. They could also fix the helmets by adding contrasting facemasks. The all red, especially, is really brutal.

• Cal
  

  Cal will be wearing Under Armour for the first time.(image via Cal Athletics)

After many years with Nike, Cal has moved on to join Under Armour. Gone are the oversized collars and the front-facing bear logo, and in is a new, classic looking bear secondary logo, and a nice custom stripe. The Sather Stripe, like many of today’s design motifs, was designed after one of the iconic buildings on campus – Sather Tower. The stripe shows up on the sleeves and pants on the uniforms, as well as the endzones on the new turf field. The field also has an awesome feature that highlights the Hayward fault that the stadium straddles. Unfortunately, the fault is only marked behind the endzones. Would have been awesome to see it run across the entire field. The online stores have also seemingly leaked a gold version of the uniform. Cal has what may be my favorite uniform of the summer.

• Oregon

Oregon is the top of the collegiate uniform world. But each year, they have kept a tight grasp over the new designs. This year, with new coach Willie Taggart, the Ducks are going to tone back the number of uniforms. We haven’t seen any designs for the upcoming season, so those will probably be revealed much closer to game day.

• Oregon State
  

  Demon Beaver returns. (image via Oregon State Athletics)

The Beavers will be sporting new “11 strong”uniforms on September 9^th against Minnesota. These new uniforms feature a black helmet with a steel “Demon Beaver” decal, a lighter shade of grey used on the jersey, which has a darker grey, almost black set of Northwestern stripes, and a dark grey pair of pants with an orange stripe on the side. I want to like these, but feel they are a few tweaks away from being really nice. The only orange – a school color – on the entire uniform is in the small details – the helmet stripe and Demon eyes, the Nike swoosh and patch details on the chest, and the stripe on the pants. If, at the very least, the jersey numbers were outlined in orange, it would really work better to me. Make the shoulder stripes orange rather than tone-on-tone to where they are barely visible, and you will have a fantastic looking jersey.

• Stanford

The Cardinal have updated to the newest Nike template.

• UCLA

Another California team has signed on with Under Armour. The new UCLA uniforms do what needed to be done for a long time – eliminate navy. The powder blue is such a better look, especially in comparison to the uniforms featuring both shades. The new Under Armour template allows for a much better rendition of the UCLA shoulder stripes than adidas was able to replicate over the last half-decade or so. The one item that was neglected was the number font, as the Bruins should still return the traditional Clarendon numerals full time.

• USC
  

  Utah’s pants stripes have a sharp turn to the back of the leg. (image via Utah Athletics)

Add the Trojans to the long list of teams upgrading Nike templates.

• Utah

Another design that grew on me is now gone. The Utah Utes have new uniforms that no longer use the cartoon-ish mountain design on the shoulder caps. This season, they will be wearing uniforms that feature the “Utah stripe,” with each jersey having contrasting colored shoulder caps. These uniforms would be rather nice if it weren’t for the pants. The striping down the pants is great, until they take a near-90* turn and wrap around the back of the thigh.

• Washington State

The Cougars might have been one of the first teams to reveal a very simple uniform design this year. The previous set was pretty good, having only a simple stripe around the shoulder caps. The new uniforms are completely devoid of stripes, sticking with a solid color. They don’t look bad, but it feels like a downgrade from the previous look. It looks like they will have a lighter grey and a dark, anthracite uniform, which seems excessive.

 

SEC

• Alabama

Alabama joins the long list of teams wearing the Nike Vapor Untouchable template.

• Arkansas
  

  Auburn will be one of four teams using sublimated footballs this season. (image via Kirk Sampson)

Small change for Arkansas, as the Razorbacks have added captaincy patches to their jerseys. Arkansas will also be honoring the passing of Razorback legend Frank Broyles this season. The specifics have yet to be determined.

• Auburn

This year marks the 125^th season of Auburn football, so naturally there is a commemorative logo. Unfortunately, the Tigers will not be wearing this logo on the uniforms at all. It will only be used for marketing purposes. Auburn is another team that will be using custom watermarked footballs, with the seldom used (nearly retired) Tiger Eyes logo on one of the panels. Auburn will also be joining the list of teams using 3D Bumpers.

• Florida

The Gators will be wearing the new Nike templateas well this year. Florida decided to make some minor changes with the update. The Nike swoosh and Gator head have swapped places on both the jerseys and pants. The Gator logo no longer interrupts the pants striping either. The orange uniforms now have matching stripes as well. The old set had a space between the blue and white stripes on the jerseys, but not the pants. Unfortunately, the white helmet with the two different decals and tapered striping are still in the arsenal to be used this year. A normal stripe and picking one helmet logo would make this a great alternate helmet.

• Georgia

One of the many teams moving to the Nike Vapor Untouchable template. The new template does wonders for the Bulldogs – like all the other teams. Small changes, as the G-logo and the Nike swoosh have changed sides on the new pants. A brand new black jersey is also going to be worn at some point during the season.

• Kentucky
  

  The new template shortens LSU shoulder stripes. (image via And The Valley Shook)

Kentucky has sold their souls to the devil naming rights to Commonwealth Stadium, which now becomes Kroger Field.

• LSU

LSU has gone to the new Nike Vapor Untouchable template. Where this template has worked wonders for others, I don’t think it works as well for teams with UCLA stripes. I loved the longer striping the Tigers and Ole Miss and others have been wearing, and they are all back to shorter stripes now. LSU wore shorter stripes previously, but the longer stripes were much better. The Tigers will also have 3D Bumpers on the back of the helmet now.

• Mississippi State

The Miss. State Bulldogs have been one of the better dressed SEC teams as of late, since they reverted to a throwback uniform design. This season, the Bulldogs have taken to clean up their look across the board. Black has been removed from the uniforms, and the shoulder stripes now better match the pants. If Mississippi State can keep from the typical black alternates, or other crazy designs, the Bulldogs could very well be a top team this year, aesthetically at least. Be sure to read more about the new uniforms from AUD friend Hail State Unis.

• Missouri

Another team joining the Vapor Untouchable ranks, Missouri goes a step further. Gone are the grey/anthracite shoulder yokes for a much cleaner look for the Tigers. We haven’t seen the other jerseys yet, but expect them to mimic the whites already released.

• Ole Miss

The Rebels have updated templates and the shoulder stripes have taken a big hit in length, much like LSU.

• Tennessee

The Vols are added to the Vapor Untouchablelist. One news story out of Knoxville that has been rather divisive on Twitter is regarding QB Quinten Dormady. Dormady has elected to go with old-school sleeves on his jersey, rather than the newer tight sleeves. He claims he wants to look like famed Vols QB Peyton Manning, so maybe they’ll work. I love seeing the sleeves, regardless of how goofy they may look.

• Texas A&M

adidas and Texas A&M have revealed their newest monstrosity design. The Aggies will be sporting “Bright Lights” uniforms at home on October 28th against Mississippi State. These new uniforms are all maroon with black details. The black details are unfortunately the Shockweb “tiretreads” design that adidas has been infamous for the last few years. It seems incredibly asinine to make the manufacturer’s “iconic” design element the main aspect of the uniforms. The Shockweb is even placed over the numbers. Texas A&M has had a great looking uniform the last few years, sticking with their traditional double shoulder yoke stripes, and the controversial beveling on the numbers. Both of those are gone with this new set. The beveling is only available on the large hip logo. The helmet logo goes sans-bevel in a chrome detailing. The helmet also transitions from maroon to black. The jersey looks worse when held outside of the controlled photo shoot lighting.

 

Sun Belt

• Arkansas State

The Red Wolves are celebrating ten years since they changed nicknames from the Indians in 2008. The commemorative logo will not be worn on the uniforms.

• Appalachian State

The Mountaineers have updated at least their yellow jerseys to the new Vapor Untouchable template. They also will be wearing new 3D back bumpers. They wore the front bumpers last season.

• Coastal Carolina
  

  The Chanticleers will be sporting new teal uniforms. (image via Coastal Carolina Athletics)

After playing their first year in FBS as an independent, the newest Sun Belt member has a new teal uniform. I’m glad to see one team actually embracing their beautiful color (looking at you, Jacksonville!). The Chanticleers also have made a change to their helmets, ditching the matte helmets for the previous glossy black helmet with golden flakes.

• Georgia Southern

The Eagles will be changing from traditional glossy helmets to the trendy matte helmets. I think the Georgia Southern shade of blue works well with this finish. They still need to add the awesome academic logo to the helmet full time.

• Georgia State

One of the younger FBS programs is moving up with their own stadium. After playing in the Georgia Dome the last few years, Georgia State has purchased the old Turner Field from the Atlanta Braves as they moved into their own new stadium. Turner Field has been turned in to a really nice looking stadium for the Panthers. They also have a logo for the first season in the new stadium. The Panthers also will sport new uniforms in the new stadium, having changed from Nike to Under Armour. So far, we have yet to see the new uniforms.

• Louisiana-Monroe
  

  ULM honors the past with throwback helmets (image via ULM Equipment)

To celebrate the 1987 FCS national championship, the Warhawks will be sporting throwback uniforms. The helmets feature the brand new academic logo, which is actually an ingenious play on the original logo. The school was nicknamed the Indians at the time, and renamed in 2006 due to NCAA restrictions against Native American imagery. The P-40 Warhawks uniforms will also be worn again this year.

• New Mexico State

The Aggies broke out new Under Armour uniforms last season. This year, they received a new black alternate uniform. The uniforms feature the year’s popular collarbone stripe template, with the pant striping taking a sharp turn to the front of the leg. The alternate crossed guns logo shows up on the shoulder caps. Hopefully they won’t wear the helmets with the same logo, as that would be a little overkill.

• Texas State
  

  Troy has new red chrome helmets for the season.(image via Troy Managers)

The Bobcats have revealed a new set of gold jerseys and pants for the upcoming season. The new jerseys have what looks to be claw-scratches in the numbers. Not sure what use it holds, but the numbers apparently are incredibly reflective. Also, a new set of secondary logos are now available for Texas State.

•  Troy

Troy has added a new chrome red helmet to their arsenal. They previously had a matte red helmet. This will be switched out with chrome silver and matte white shells. The Trojans will also have new red jerseys and white pants.

 

Independent

• Army

Last season, Army cornerback Brandon Jackson was killed in a car wreck a few hours after a win over Rice. His teammates will continue to wear a memorial decal on the back of their helmets up through the time that Jackson would graduate.

• BYU
  

  BYU will sport a patch to honor the passing of legendary and Hall of Fame coach Lavell Edwards. (image via BYU Athletics)

The Cougars will be wearing a patch to honor the passing of Hall of Fame coach Lavell Edwards. Edwards passed away in December. Edwards coached BYU to a national championship in 1984 and coached the school’s only Heisman Trophy winner.

• Notre Dame

Another team using a special sublimated gameball, Notre Dame will have a large ND logo sublimated behind the traditional “Play Like a Champion Today” phrase. Even though the Irish won’t be playing in a Shamrock Series game this year, there will be a special alternate uniform to be worn. Notre Dame just finished a massive renovation project to the stadium. The Irish will celebrate the history of the stadium and the program by honoring iconic player and coach Knute Rockne. The alternate uniforms try to mimic the uniforms worn during the the 1920s and 1930s. The jerseys are navy with gold accents, the pants are gold, and the helmets and cleats are brown to represent the leather worn in the past. The shoulder caps feature quotes from a Rockne pep speech that was also recited in the movie about the famed coach. The ND logo on the chest and football is the same as used in the Rockne-era. Each player will wear Rockne’s surname on their nameplates for the game versus Navy, a long time rival of Rockne’s Notre Dame teams. The numbers also feature diagonal striping sublimated that is meant to represent the striping in the endzones. The team has also been wearing shamrock pride stickers in practice. No word if those will transition on to the game helmets.

 

FCS Teams

• Albany

Albany looks to have a new anthracite jersey this season. The Danes also showcased multiple helmet designs – most of which had been worn before. I believe the USA Flag is the only new one of the group.

• Cal Poly

After sporting Nike uniforms last season, Cal Poly has moved on to adidas. The new adidas threads have a set of catalog-picked stripes on the shoulders. It looks as though there will be an American flag inspired helmet to be worn at some point.

• Colgate
  

  New white/silver helmets for Colgate.(image via Colgate Equipment)

The ever popular Navy helmet design is seen each year at every level of play. This year, Colgate is taking it in a different approach, adding a stripe to the design. The striping feels jarring as it ends where the grey area begins. There is also no secondary stripe with the back end, which makes it look a little empty. The Raiders also have new road uniforms that feature a nice set of stripes on contrasting colored shoulder caps.

• Cornell

The Ivy League Big Red team has updated their red jerseys to the Nike Vapor Pro template.

• Duquesne

Moving from adidas to Nike, Duquesne has revealed their new uniforms. The new uniforms are based on the old Arizona dot-matrix stripes that are found in the Nike catalogs. The old set was littered with odd piping. Popular design aside, it’s a good look and upgrade for the Dukes.

• East Tennessee State

Back in 2015, the ETSU football program was reinstated after a decade absence. This year, the Buccaneers will be playing in a brand new on-campus stadium. The new stadium is rather small, seating about 10,000, but will look amazing. It’s great to see programs do more with less.

• Furman
  

  The 2017 Kansas State Furman Paladins (image via Furman Athletics)

The Paladins have updated to the Vapor Pro template, and have a great new design with great striping. They look similar to Kansas State in terms of color and design, but have a Baylor-like bend to the top of the pant stripes.

• Indiana State
  

  New gold lids for the Dolphins (image via Jacksonville Equipment)

The Sycamores have made a minor update to their helmets, specifically the decals. Rather than having the font in blue with a white and then black stroke, the new decals will have a black font, blue stroke, and finally a silver, chrome-ish outer stroke.

• Jacksonville

The Dolphins will be wearing gold helmets this season. They have previously been wearing white and green shells.

• James Madison

After a few years of wearing old Arizona-style uniforms, James Madison has a new set of custom uniforms. The defending FCS national champions will be sporting Vapor Untouchable uniforms that have the royal bulldog logo sublimated on the shoulder caps. The full color bulldog logo is placed on the chest. A purple, white, and black version of each jersey and pants (and possibly helmets) will be available to mix and match. I would expect to see a few different helmet designs like they have worn in the past. This look is such an upgrade over the previous set, and might honestly be one of the better looks of the season.

• Lamar

The Cardinals sported some new Under Armour uniforms two years ago, and they have gone and redesigned them once again. The old set had contrasting shoulder caps with an odd but interesting vertical stripe. The new jerseys are donned with collarbone stripes. The pants feature stripes that take a sharp 90* turn to the front of the pants. The helmets also feature a stripe that turns from red to black on the back and have the school name written vertically down the shell.

• McNeese State

The Cowboys look to have added striping to their game helmets. They have previously gone stripe-less and even wearing a single stripe with their throwback uniforms.

• Monmouth

Yet another team switching manufacturers, Monmouth has dumped Nike for Under Armour. Much like the old set, the new uniforms are rather plain, coming in all blue or all white.

• Montana State

The Bobcats have a new grey alternate uniform for the season. The new jerseys feature gold contrasting shoulder caps with grey stripes. They will also have grey pants to match. Also, a new turf design that showcases the program’s national championships on the sidelines.

• North Dakota

The Fighting Hawks wore new adidas uniforms last season, but have added a new ND patch for the upcoming season.

• Northern Arizona
  

  Yellow highlights the new Lumberjack uniforms (image via NAU Athletics)

The Lumberjacks have new adidas uniforms which limit the use of their very bright shade of yellow. Previously, the yellow was placed on the shoulder yoke of the home uniforms, and even were prevalent on the main pair of pants. The relegation feels like a downgrade, as the yellow looks forced and awkward on the new uniforms, especially on the whites with the collar being squared off at the bottom. It truly looks like these are spotlighted in areas by Sharpie Highlighters.

• Northern Colorado

The Bears of the Big Sky Conference look to have a new slate grey uniform set. The jerseys feature a nice, large set of stripesthat match the white and blue versions. It also looks as though there is a new matte purple helmet with gold facemask and bear head logo.

• Sam Houston State

The Bearkats have updated their uniforms with one of the newer Under Armour designs. Rather than having stripes on the shoulders, the stripes are on the front, like a collarbone stripe. I liked the previous set just fine, but these are also a good look.

• Samford

The Birmingham, Alabama, based Samford Bulldogs released a new branding set mid last season. The football team updated the helmets to match the new logos, but the turf field still featured the old logo. That has now been changed and the new logo looks amazing and powerful on the football field.

• Savannah State

After sticking with their Russell uniforms last year when the Russell-MEAC contract ran out, the Tigers are moving on to Nike this season. The new look is incredibly simple, with no stripes to be found, and only the team nickname written on the pants leg. It’s a big departure from what they previously wore.

• Stephen F. Austin
  

  New uniforms for the SFA Lumberjacks. (image via SFA Equipment)

Much like their Southland Conference foes of Sam Houston State, Stephen F. Austin will be wearing new Under Armour uniforms. The jerseys feature collarbone stripes, which don’t pop as much in black, white and purple as Sam Houston’s orange, blue, and white. It will be interesting to see both teams wearing identical designs facing each again. SFA wore the same template as Sam Houston last year as well.

• Stony Brook

One of my favorite parts of doing this project is seeing the uniforms of the lower tiered teams. Because of that, I realized that Stony Brook might have one of my favorite designs. I love their Ohio State-esque look, with the silver helmets, red jerseys and white pants withthe nice striping patterns. This season, the Seawolves (an amazing nickname to boot!) will be adding a new white helmet to the arsenal. This new helmet is similar to the red one worn last year with the mascot logo on the sides of the helmet. But this one continues the great striping on to the shell. Pairing this with the white jerseys would make for one sharp looking uniform.

• Weber State

The Wildcats will be sporting a new helmet this season, with the logo on one side and player number on the other.

 

Division II Teams

• East Stroudsburg

The Warriors have revealed a new set of Under Armour uniforms. The new jerseys feature black and white Northwestern stripes on the shoulders. The jersey number and helmet logo are both rendered in Florida State’s Seminole font. They previously wore red helmets with the team nickname on the sides.

• Harding
  

  Lake Erie’s fighting tornado! (image via Gerald Hazzard)

The Arkansas-based Bison have a new grey alternate uniform with gold helmets. The helmets are currently logo-less, but I imagine they will add the bison logo like on their primary black helmets.

• Lake Erie College

This might be one of my favorite bits of the summer. A small school in Ohio that calls themselves the Storm has added an anthropomorphic tornado to the side of the new satin green helmets. I love the satin green finish on the shells, and the tornado logo is just too awesome to not love.

• Minnesota State

Sporting a new Nike template – the Vapor Pro, a combination of the Untouchable and Mach Speed – Minnesota State has two new jerseys – one purple, the other gold. Both are upgrades over the old dot-matrix stripe jerseys.

• North Alabama

UNA recently signed with adidas after wearing Russell uniforms for many years. The Lions recently revealed their new uniforms, with a brand new wrinkle. UNA has never worn a white helmet – until now. The white and purple jersey and pants have very common, catalog-chosen designs, but the look is a good one. UNA will be moving up from DII, where they have won three championships, to FCS after this season.

• Nebraska Kearney

The Lopers have a new turf field this season. The font is too Times New Roman for my liking, but I like the blue and gold stripes.

• Ohio Dominican

The Panthers of Ohio Dominican have previouslyworn Nike uniforms, but will be sporting Under Armour this season. The new uniforms are rather simple, being all black with small areas of yellow. The interesting part is the pants, and the front thigh stripe might feature something not seen before here – an outline of the panel.

• Slippery Rock

The Pennsylvania-based Slippery Rock football team has updated their adidas uniforms to the latest template. The biggest changes include the font and grey outline on the numbers and chestmark.

• Urbana

Another Ohio school I had previously never heard of is on this list. Urbana is switching from Nike to Under Armour, and the new white uniforms look spectacular. I love the striping on the shoulders and pants – they are very Ohio State like. It looks as though they will be recycling the blue Nike pants from the year before, and potentially the black jerseys. It can be tough for schools with smaller budget to afford to purchase new uniforms top to bottom, and multiple versions of each.

• Winston-Salem State

New logo set for the Rams. Good upgrade, as their old logo wasn’t too great.

 

Division III Teams

• Alfred

The Alfred Saxons will be wearing new white jerseys this year. After wearing UCLA striped home jerseys last year, the road jerseys will feature the shoulder striping.

• Luther College

The Iowa-based Luther College will become the first DIII program to have a blue turf field.

• Mary Hardin-Baylor (UMHB)

Yet another school choosing to go with the collarbone Under Armour stripes, the Crusaders have a nice purple jersey. I love the Crusader logo on the shoulders, too.

• Plattsburgh

The New York-based Cardinals (or Redbirds, apparently) have a new logo set. It’s a different perspective than one of their previous logos, and a somewhat more modern rendition of another.

 

NJCAA

• I usually don’t include the junior college ranks in these posts, but I feel this is warranted. The entire NJCAA league of teams has signed a league-wide deal with adidas. The three year deal will outfit roughly 3,400 teams across 25 sports.

 

As you can see, the current trend in design is leaning back to simple. The last few years have seen overly complicated, super busy uniforms across all levels. That pendulum is swinging the opposite way for now.

That’s all for this summer. There’s no question that we will see a fair share of reveals during the season.

Thanks to all the teams and equipment teams for sharing the images of their respective new uniforms. And for Uni-Watch and Sportslogos.net forums for helping showcase all the new details.

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