Some have had a couple of. Some have had many. The Oregon Ducks seemingly give you a brand new one each week.
The subject is, after all, alternate uniforms. The very best of one of the best have change into beloved staples of the autumn calendar for school soccer followers. Simply as many, although, have been relegated to the dustbin of historical past (or a minimum of a campus storage closet). A vaunted few have risen to a fair increased tier: cult traditional.
With the 2025 school soccer season approaching, we determined to run by the in depth catalog of alternate uniform choices within the sport since 2000 and parse by all of it to find out among the most memorable — for higher or for worse.
We broke our superlatives checklist down into quite a lot of classes — three broad, three particular, every with a number of nominations, and 6 unique awards. A few of these classes reward aesthetic magnificence. Extra want simply plain zaniness.
Listed below are one of the best, worst and wildest of alternate uniforms from the previous 25 years.
Greatest in present
Within the nominations for our greatest of one of the best, we lined a variety of topical floor. From distinct colours to well-executed throwbacks, our 5 picks supply an array of various methods to make an alternate uniform pop.
Hawai’i Rainbow Warriors: Retro and rainbow, 2015
Florida International Panthers: Miami Vice, 2024
Houston Cougars: Paying homage to the Oilers, 2023
Florida Gators: Simplistic throwback perfection, 2019
SMU Mustangs: Repping Dallas, 2019
Most … bold
It is at all times encouraging when a crew is keen to strive one thing new — creativity and boldness are two traits that assist make school soccer enjoyable. That mentioned, not each outside-the-box alternate uniform thought is created equal. We’re not essentially saying these uniforms are unhealthy, however they positively have been… enterprising.
Florida Gators: Gator-print, 2017
Michigan State Spartans: Neon inexperienced, 2019
Colorado Buffaloes: Throwbacks gone too simplistic, 2009
Notre Dame Fighting Irish: Yankee Stadium crossover, 2018
Miami Hurricanes: Orange sleeves, 2005
Craziest helmets
A fantastic — or poor — helmet could make or break a uniform, so we created a separate class for among the most notable lids. Bonus factors have been awarded for distinctiveness, no matter how well-executed.
Western Kentucky Hilltoppers: Massive Crimson entrance and heart, 2024
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets: Honeycomb theme, 2012
Utah Utes: Rose Bowl specials, 2022
Georgia Bulldogs: Georgia tries gray, 2011
Virginia Tech Hokies: The flexing HokieBird, 2012
Most “State-triotic”
A key component of school soccer is representing a college’s hometown or residence state. These three faculties went the furthest in going above and past to meet that mission, incorporating their state’s flag into their alternate uniforms. The aesthetic outcomes have been assorted.
Maryland Terrapins, 2011
Colorado State Rams, 2017
Texas Tech Red Raiders, 2014
Greatest from the ultimate frontier
An unlikely supply of high quality alternate jerseys lately? Outer area. In actual fact, space-themed uniforms produced sufficient spectacular alternates that we deemed it worthy of its personal class. Listed below are one of the best of one of the best to have drawn inspiration from the celebs.
UCF Knights: Area U, 2023
Purdue Boilermakers: Honoring the college’s astronauts, 2019
Air Force Falcons: Representing the Area Drive, 2022
Greatest tribute
Context issues for uniforms, too. Virtually all alternate uniforms symbolize or honor one thing, however some threads have notably particular motives. These two alternates have established themselves as notably distinguished within the backstory class.
Boston College Eagles: The crimson bandana collection
The Eagles have donned uniforms that includes a crimson bandana sample and a “FOR WELLES” nameplate annually since 2014. The uniforms pay homage to Welles Crowther, a Boston School alum who died saving lives within the Sept. 11 assaults whereas carrying a crimson bandana.
UAB Blazers: The Kids’s Harbor collection
A practice since 2016, UAB has worn particular jerseys for choose video games as a part of a partnership with Kids’s Harbor, a service heart for critically sick kids and their households in Birmingham, Alabama. The Blazers’ Kids’s Harbor jerseys characteristic the names of sufferers on the again instead of these of gamers.
Worst pattern to by no means catch on
Block letter jerseys
A really temporary however however unlucky stint within the pantheon of alternate uniform historical past was the spurt of designs within the early 2010s that includes jerseys with block letter logos entrance and heart. Of the numerous pitfalls an alternate uniform can hit, these ran the gauntlet.
Altering the aesthetics for the jerseys of groups with traditional conventional threads? Test. Unwieldy designs with out grounding in a college’s historical past or custom? Test. Creating a wierd on-screen viewing expertise? Test. Blissfully, these by no means took maintain exterior of some Massive Ten one-offs.
Lifetime achievement award
Oregon
Undoubtedly probably the most prolific uniform-producing college, the Geese put out extra uniform combos in a season than some packages do in a decade. As an alternative of attempting to decide on which classes to fit them into — since they’ve produced sufficient memorable combos to be concerned in nearly each possibility, actually — we’re merely giving the Geese a lifetime achievement award, showcasing a brief palette of their vary right here.
Greatest alternate uniform reveal collection
Notre Dame
Whereas there have been loads of nice alternate uniform reveals, no person within the sport has dedicated to a bit fairly like Notre Dame. The Preventing Irish began in 2022, parodying “The Hangover” to unveil their uniforms for that yr’s Shamrock Collection sport in Las Vegas. They’ve since established the film parody lane as their area of interest, riffing “Jerry Maguire” in 2023 and “Wolf of Wall Avenue” in 2024.
Some guys CAN deal with Vegas
Really feel It. October 8 pic.twitter.com/HdzdAOaCDs
— Notre Dame Soccer (@NDFootball) July 27, 2022
Greatest constant yearly alternate uniform matchup
The Military-Navy sport
Admittedly, there are usually not a ton of matchups producing alternate uniform matchups on an annual foundation. Or any, for that matter. But it surely merely would not be an alternate uniform story with out plaudits being given to the extent of element put into Military and Navy’s respective uniforms on a yearly foundation for his or her rivalry sport lately. So, like Oregon, we have created a selected class to focus on among the greatest Military-Navy alternate uniform showdowns.
Techs Stick Collectively unity award
Virginia Tech vs. Georgia Tech, 2007
It felt proper to finish this piece with an “alternate” uniform that, whereas very a lot not intentional, was definitely memorable. On November 1, 2007, Virginia Tech performed a routine highway sport in opposition to Georgia Tech. There was only one difficulty — among the Hokies’ jerseys had gone lacking. Consequently, 4 Virginia Tech gamers needed to play with the one further uniforms readily available: Yellow Jacket highway jerseys, with new names scrawled on the again and “Georgia Tech” blacked out on the entrance.