With college football around the corner, I have been thinking about my favorite aspect of the game. Is it the diehard fan base? The traditions such as the Iowa Wave? Or is it the game day tailgates and cookouts? For me, it’s the uniforms.
As a woman working in athletics, and a football fan, I appreciate every piece that goes into playing the game, but I especially love when teams have cute uniforms.
When asked about the cutest gear, my mind immediately jumps to the University of Oregon Ducks’ Nike Eggshell uniforms. The stark white base color and contrasting green splatter print immediately caught my eye. The metallic green numbers and silver detail pair perfectly with the dark green metallic helmets. What I love most about these uniforms is that they pair the jersey with matching eggshell print pants and gloves. This ties the whole outfit together and creates the perfect matching set. These uniforms got mixed reviews on their release date, but you can’t deny the winning record the Ducks have in them.
The second one that comes to mind is the University of Central Florida Knights’ space uniform. These 2023 Nike uniforms shocked the fanbase with the amount of intricate detailing. With the base color being a fun shade of baby blue, they immediately became an eye-catcher.
The jerseys are decked out with soft-edged white and gray numbers bordered in a line of black and white galaxy print. There is also a fun spaceship-style swoop on the shoulders that upgrades the jerseys instead of having the classic stripe. Another key feature of these uniforms is the matte white helmet with an iridescent visor. This adds to the out-of-this-world vibe, and ties together the space theme.
The third uniform that ranks highly on my cuteness scale is the 2022 University of Tennessee Volunteers Dark Mode uniform. Tennessee brought them to the field against the No. 19 University of Kentucky Wildcats back in 2022 with a crazy win of 44-6. Although this was a powerhouse team, I wholeheartedly believe these uniforms aided the win.
With the all-black jersey and pants, and the contrasting Tennessee orange numbers, Nike logo, and arm sleeves, these uniforms are the definition of cute. The pants feature two thick Tennessee orange stripes down the side which add to the sleek look.
Unlike in previous years, the team paired these uniforms with a metallic black helmet that features the same sleek stripe down the middle. These uniforms are a classic style, but they prove that basics are always a good thing to have in your closet.
Some honorable mentions for my list are Utah State University’s cow-themed helmets, the 2010 University of Iowa throwback uniforms that highlight their outstanding 1958 season, the University of South Florida’s vibrant Slime Green gear, and the University of Michigan’s winged helmets paired with the classic blue jersey and yellow pants.
No matter what team you are rooting for, you can’t deny a cute uniform. This is one of my favorite things about college football and I can’t wait to see what these programs come out with in the future!
