Fifteen months since the initial announcement, Auburn’s Nike Era is officially underway.
Five Auburn programs revealed their new uniforms for the upcoming season, with more teams to be shown later in the year. The fall sport uniforms have now been released, so let’s break down all the details.
Number Font
Probably the most significant (and surprising) change across all teams is the introduction of a new number font.
Since Under Armour took over all teams in 2006-07, they each (minus football, of course) have sported a sans-serif version of Copperplate Gothic Bold numerals. Some teams (men’s basketball and softball) even wore the serif version of Copperplate numbers to better match the newly introduced Copperplate wordmarks, though these were on Russell Athletic uniforms.
With the move to Nike, I was curious if Auburn would abandon Copperplate altogether. When the new north endzone video board was being completed, they added the Copperplate wordmarks to the field-facing side. That showed Copperplate was here to stay. And if the Copperplate letters would stay, certainly, I thought, the numbers would as well.
On July 3rd, when Auburn Soccer and Volleyball showcased their new Nike uniforms, they both featured a new, non-Copperplate font. And it was something we had never seen on an Auburn uniform before.
I started reverse engineering the font with the few images and digits that had been revealed, and couldn’t find anything that matched. It wasn’t until the Women’s Basketball team posted (and since deleted) the roster’s new numbers that we got an almost full look at each digit.
With the WBB team using all digits but 8 and 9, I had to make a few guesses here. This will be finalized as athlete photoshoots and games begin, and we get to confirm these final two digits. The 8 is slightly tweaked from two 3s being placed together, and the 9 is simply a 6 upside down. They’re safe assumptions, but I always prefer to have confirmation.
When searching for matching number fonts, I originally landed on Nurom. It was close, but had a few intricacies that were just off. After replicating the digits from the WBB number roster post, the font search tools found something new. TT Norms Standard was a very close match. If this isn’t what Auburn is using, I think it’s fair to say that the Tigers are using a custom font that’s likely based on this or a very similar font.
Also of note, it appears that the outline color is slightly thinner on the new font compared to the old style. This makes the numbers themselves look a little bloated. But this will be another item that will be finalized as we see these uniforms in action this year.
Alright, let’s dive into the new uniforms now.
Football
The Auburn Football uniforms haven’t changed a whole lot in the last 60 years. Different cuts, materials, and patches have come and gone, but the traditional colors, stripes, and number fonts have remained the same.
(image via Auburn Athletics)
Despite some wishing for big changes with the move to Nike, the same Auburn Football uniform will hit the gridiron this season. As always, there are minor tweaks throughout the design that are always worth diving into.
Let’s start with the template. Nike’s flagship Vapor F.U.S.E. template, with its cow catcher collar and v-shaped chest seam, will now carry Auburn’s design. The “Auburn” text on the chest has been increased slightly on the new jerseys. It’s also been moved down slightly thanks to the collar and v-seam.
When Auburn adopted the newest Under Armour template last year, the belt-less waistband on the pants interrupted the pants stripe. Nike’s pant models keep the belts away, but restore the full-length stripe down the leg.
Also on the pants, the Auburn logo will now sit on the right hip for the first time. Since 2006, the AU logo has been on the left hip with the Under Armour logo on the right. Before that, the Russell Athletic logo was placed on the right side of the pants with no additional logos, except for 1998 when the Tiger Eyes logo was added.
Even though the helmets aren’t designed or produced by Nike, Auburn took the opportunity to make a few updates to the shells.
The front and rear bumper decals have been updated to Copperplate to match the chestmark font, removing the classic block font used since 2018 (Auburn has gone back and forth between Copperplate and block font bumpers for many years now). The navy text will retain the orange outline first added in 2022.
With the 2021 Citrus Bowl against Northwestern, Auburn changed from clear to solid white facemask clips, which connect the mask to the helmet shell. The promo photo with all five teams represented showcased the Auburn helmet with navy facemask clips and visor clips to match the facemask color. Now, will all facemask color options use the navy accessories, or will Auburn work to match them as well? The white clips can return for the white masks, and new orange clips can be introduced with the orange cages.
When Auburn initially showcased the new Nike jerseys, many online immediately went to the number font and sizes. Without having the jerseys in hand to physically measure them, it’s difficult to determine the size of the numbers. But, I grabbed a few of the older Under Armour jerseys out of my collection and measured them, then did some pixel measurement (any Game Theory fans here?) to determine the sizes on the new jerseys.
Also, I’ll go ahead and say this here: the number font on the football jerseys did not change whatsoever. It’s the exact same block number font as has been used for over 60 years. If anything, the new Nike jerseys are using a slightly more condensed version of the numbers to make them thinner horizontally.
Again, this is just an estimation, not an exact measurement.
Stay tuned to the Auburn Uniform Database and social media platforms for additional coverage of the Auburn Football uniforms as details are revealed.
For the first time since the circular SEC logo was added to the helmet, it will match the jersey colorway. The SEC decal also moves back to the left side of the stripe after being on the right side since 2021. The large player numbers introduced in 2021 are being removed in favor of a Tuberville-era approach – smaller number decals added directly to the center orange stripe.
And finally, there was a slight update to the AU logo on the helmets. No, we aren’t repeating 1995 or 2019. The logo itself is not changing. You know those small inconsistencies or oddities with designs that once you see it, you can never unsee it? Yea, it’s one of those. So this is your warning.
more about the AU logo fix
Soccer
Auburn Soccer has stuck with the same overall design since 2014. In the last decade, the program has worn five different iterations of the striped sash kits, to varying degrees of success. As the switch to Nike approached, I wondered if programs like Auburn Soccer would continue on with their now-established aesthetic or hit the refresh button and try something new?
Well, Auburn Soccer won’t be hitting that refresh button. At least not now.
Nike’s first edition of an Auburn Soccer uniform will be very similar to the previous Under Armour kit, albeit with a few tweaks. The stripes on the sash and shorts are slightly off – the center stripe is much larger and closer to the outer stripes than what the “true” stripes should be. The sash also has a larger negative space around the chestmark and number, allowing everything to breathe slightly more. And the Tigers will sport the new number font we already discussed.
Additionally, the collars and sleeve cuffs will match the jersey color, removing the contrasting color and trim detail that had been worn since 2021. After swapping the Auburn and Under Armour logos on the shorts last season, the new uniforms return the AU to the right leg and the manufacturer logo to the right. Finally, the white jerseys are unique from the other colorways and feature a navy side panel on the torso.
Volleyball
In 2023, Auburn Volleyball introduced new tank top jerseys into the rotation. When the Volleyball team showcased their new Nike uniforms, the tank top options returned.
Only two jerseys were showcased: orange and navy, though a white compression sleeve was featured, while a detail photo showcased the powder blue libero tops. The new tops both featured the AU logo on the chest with the player number underneath. The back of the jersey also includes the player number, but with “Auburn” placed underneath. Auburn Volleyball has added player names on the back of the jerseys since 2022, though it remains to be seen if they return on the new Nike uniforms.
Auburn Volleyball will join the Soccer program in utilizing the new number font.
For years now, the program has worn numerous jersey designs and sported both tank tops and long-sleeve jerseys in the same year. Auburn only showed off the two tank top options in the initial reveal video. It wouldn’t be surprising to see multiple additional uniforms revealed at a later time.
Much like the soccer team, Auburn Volleyball’s new uniforms are entirely sublimated. In the past, the jerseys have often included the same SEC patch that baseball, softball, basketball, and football wear. For both, the SEC logo is dyed directly onto the garment. It looks as though they both went to the dyed designs in previous years, but it was heavily featured in both programs’ teaser images on release day.
Sublimated garments don’t carry the weight that screenprinting or especially sewn-on tackle twill details add. For dye sublimation, the fabric itself is colored accordingly to create the design. Screenprinting, however, has ink applied on top of the garment, which can make the item a little stiff. One tell-tale sign for dye-sublimated uniforms is that the underbody of the garment itself is white. You can slightly see that in this close-up shot of the orange volleyball jersey. The inside of the jersey, appearing at the top, is white.
Track & Field/Cross Country
I’ll admit it, I don’t know much about track and field and cross country uniforms, nor have I ever tracked them for this site. But uniform tracking is mostly just paying attention, so let’s dive into these uniforms together.
For years now, Auburn’s Under Armour uniforms for T&C/XC have included the Northwestern stripes in some fashion. At times, they’ve been featured on the sides or even a triangular collar. Recently, the stripes have been down the sides and then across the front of the shorts.
With Nike, Auburn T&F/XC is going all in on the “tigers” motif that most other programs have avoided for years. The new tops – shown in navy and orange – will have sublimated tiger stripes added to the base garment. Just like soccer and volleyball, everything appears to be fully dyed with no screen printing or patches in sight. The Auburn wordmark sits on the chest while an AU logo appears on the back, just below the collar.
The shorts won’t carry the tiger stripes or the Northwestern stripes, but simply match the top color.
Equestrian
Starting with the 2023-24 season, Auburn Equestrian began outfitting some of the team in “jerseys” with their name and a number on the back. The torso had two stripes while the front had the Auburn wordmark and the SEC logo.
With the switch to Nike, these Auburn Equestrian jerseys will be rather similar. The two torso stripes have been replaced with three to mimic the Northwestern Stripes, which also wrap down the sleeve. The initial release videos didn’t showcase the back of the shirts, so it’s unclear if the player names and numbers will return. The release did, however, showcase an orange colorway of the shirts, which I believe would be a first for the program.
Another detail that the release videos failed to feature was the collar. There’s a small contrasting colored section on the backside of the collar, which seems to resemble the “championship tab” that Nike has added to NBA and college basketball uniforms for teams with a title.
Q&A
Since July 1st when the Auburn-Nike partnership took effect, fans have had many questions about the partnership itself and the uniforms. Here are a few questions that I’ve been asked and seen others ask on social media since the fall sport uniforms have been revealed.
When will the Winter and Spring sports’ uniforms be revealed?
Later in the year is all we have at the moment. Sources tell me that Softball and Baseball don’t even have their new 2026 uniforms in hand yet. My guess is that you see both basketball teams maybe in October. Baseball and Softball have often released their uniform designs in January or early February.
Will Men’s Basketball use Nike basketballs this year?
Each program shared a teaser video on July 1st showcasing some of the new apparel and equipment they would use in the Nike Era. The Women’s Basketball team specifically highlighted the Nike basketball in their teaser. The Men’s Basketball program didn’t showcase the brand of basketball in the video. It was obscured by the player’s hand and was never focused on. However, the cover image for the Instagram Reel video does show the Nike basketball clearly.
But was that for the video, or will the team continue with Wilson-branded basketballs?
According to some chatter on social media, Bruce Pearl’s contract may stipulate that the team uses the same basketballs as the NCAA Tournament uses. I have no idea if that’s accurate or not. But as it currently stands, I guess we’ll have to wait until practice begins or even the exhibition games to know for certain.
Will Football have alternate jerseys soon?
Alternate uniforms have been a common question since the Nike announcement was made in April 2024.
Remember this – Auburn hasn’t worn alternate uniforms because Auburn has decided not to. It’s not what Nike or Under Armour can or will provide. It’s what Auburn wants to do.
Under Armour provided many concepts that, at bare minimum, were created as samples. Nike may be able to present better designed concepts or even have better salespeople to pitch the concepts. But at the end of the day, it’s on Auburn to decide to wear something different.
How will Tahaad Pettiford’s NIL deal with Under Armour be impacted?
Under Armour signed Pettiford last year after the Nike deal was announced. Players having deals with companies beyond the school’s uniform provider isn’t new.
Cooper Flagg was sponsored by New Balance while playing at Nike-partnered Duke. Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State wide receiver, signed a deal with Adidas despite playing at a Nike school. There are multiple stories just like this.
What this means for Pettiford moving forward is that when he is playing basketball or appearing in an official manner for Auburn, he will most likely be wearing Nike apparel and shoes. In his free time, Pettiford will be free to promote Under Armour as he pleases. He likely won’t be able to include anything Auburn-related while doing so, though.
What happened to the old Under Armour uniforms and gear?
Auburn has always held a lot of the uniforms close to the vest, even after they’ve been retired on the field.
Back in 2012, some of the 2007-2010 jerseys were available for purchase at the Auburn Arena team store. I’ve waited on them to do the same thing with other templates ever since. In 2018, Auburn quietly auctioned off about 6,000 Under Armour items on GovDeals.com. That included many jerseys and apparel items.
Many schools have, for years, hosted “yard sales” to allow fans that opportunity to load up on decommissioned uniforms, helmets, equipment, and apparel at discounted prices. Auburn has avoided doing so since these sales have become more popular across the country.
A transition to a new manufacturer, like Auburn just experienced, is the perfect time to earn a little extra revenue and get a lot of authentic items out on the market. At this point, there is no word if Auburn will do so. Here’s hoping so. I’d love to add many more pieces to my collection!
How often will teams receive new uniforms under the Nike deal?
With Under Armour, Auburn was on a three-year cycle of new uniforms. Covid added an extra year to the 2020 sets.
Expect to see Auburn follow a similar path with Nike. Especially with football, Nike rolls out new templates occasionally to keep things fresh and, well, to sell additional jerseys to teams.
When will fans be able to buy new Auburn Nike apparel?
Auburn announced on July 1st that no retail stores – online or in-person – would sell the new items until July 25th. Now, two weeks since the start of the month, that’s remained true. No listings have been made available online, and only a few apparel items have been showcased.
Essentially, Auburn wanted to ensure all retail partners had equal opportunities to sell the new apparel. Rather than some stores receiving merchandise earlier than others, all retailers would receive their shipments around the same time and make them available for purchase on the same day.
The Auburn University Bookstore and the Auburn area Alumni Hall stores announced they would open at 8am on the 25th and begin selling the Nike apparel. The Downtown Auburn Team Store will be hosting a ribbon cutting at 9am before selling the new items.
As products get added to online stores, I will share them on Twitter and Instagram, and the Auburn x Nike HQ will include many of those products. Stay tuned as all the new products become available.
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I actually think the exact font they’re using for the numbers is TT Norms Pro ExtraBold, from the same family.