Last night, two maroon and gold teams from the Sun Belt Conference introduced new uniforms ahead of the upcoming college football season. In an unexpected twist, a prank from April Fool’s Day has evolved into an alternate helmet for Utah State.
Starting with the University of Louisiana-Monroe, they revealed an eye-catching black alternate uniform paired with a white helmet. The Warhawks plan to debut this uniform during their second game of the season against UAB on September 7th.
While the design is largely simple, it features various elements between the neckline and the numbers, including the school logo, conference patch, manufacturer’s logo, and lettering on the chest. While there are elements of the design I would tweak, such as opting for sleeve stripes instead of repeating the helmet’s mouth design inspired by the classic P-40 Warhawk fighter plane, the uniform still has a strong overall appearance. The star logo from the aircraft appears in the school’s colors on the right hip, the back of the helmet, and inside the state of Louisiana design on the back nameplate of the jersey.
The gold numbers are appropriately sized and contrast sharply, which I find more appealing than the blocky font previously used.
While some enthusiasts may take issue with a white helmet paired with dark jerseys and pants, I personally enjoy this look. It’s refreshing to see this alternate style instead of an all-black ensemble. Even without stripes, this uniform stands out among recent all-black uniforms, and I hope the new number font makes its way into the regular uniforms as well.
The second maroon and gold team, Texas State, showcased a new white uniform featuring a gold helmet. Unlike ULM, the Bobcats did not share any official photos, leaving fans to glean details from a dimly-lit hype video. However, there are glimpses of the script “Bobcats” on the helmet, which is adorned with maroon and white stripes, while the jersey and pants sport maroon and gold stripes.
Additionally, above the conference logo on the jersey, there’s a patch that commemorates 125 years since the school’s establishment, five years prior to the start of their football program.
Texas State deserves praise for steering clear of the trend toward all-white ensembles, making this a notable improvement over last year’s all-white kit with narrow numbers.
Lastly, Utah State will wear an attention-grabbing cow-themed helmet next week when they face Robert Morris, an idea born from an April Fool’s joke that seems to have generated positive feedback.
Utah State’s celebration of its agricultural heritage, particularly in Cache Valley, is highlighted by their unique helmet design, which the Salt Lake Tribune notes relates to the area being home to over 1,300 farms and one of the top counties nationwide for market value of milk sold from cows.
As for how this design will translate on the field, I’ll reserve my comments until I see it in action.