[Editor’s Note: With the University of Virginia {finally} unveiling their new football uniforms for the 2024 season, our own Jamie Rathjen, who is a UVa alumnus, offered to cover their unveiling. Enjoy! — PH]
Virginia football’s new uniforms, released today, are among the smallest uniform changes I have ever seen get their own release. The team first hinted at them yesterday by posting screenshots from the new EA Sports College Football 25 video game.
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But as often happens with video games, those weren’t 100% accurate. It looked like the gaps between the jerseys’ sleeve stripes might close, but not those on the helmets or pants, which would be an odd inconsistency.
Instead, all the gaps closed, so all helmets, jerseys, and pants now have a simple two-stripe pattern. Here is an old vs. new comparison of the white uniforms (note the “old” picture is from two incarnations ago, before the current number font and V-Sabre logo were introduced).
This does have retro overtones, as the release video shows, especially anywhere there are blue and orange stripes on a white background.
“We’re excited for these new enhanced Nike uniforms. They blend a traditional look of Virginia Football history with updated jersey technology for the future. Our stripes are a timeless aspect of the UVA uniform and symbolize the unity it will take to reach new heights”
-Coach E pic.twitter.com/K3i10v4tXA— Virginia Football (@UVAFootball) July 16, 2024
A white logoless helmet with a blue/orange stripe was the design immediately before the V-Sabre logo was introduced in 1994. The jerseys didn’t have stripes before this current set was released in 2018, so the other stripe color combinations don’t have the historical grounding.
Unfortunately, the white helmet is still not logoless, but when combined with a blue stripeless helmet those form the two enduring looks from the past 35 years or so.
Another small change is the base of the collar on the orange jersey, which for a few seasons had one version of the faceless Cavalier alternate logo. It now has a V-Sabre like the others.
The team again hinted in the tweet above that these uniforms involve some sort of new unspecified Nike template. I can only imagine that other Nike schools will be getting it because even I, as an alum, have a hard time believing that in football UVa would be the first or only with this sort of thing.
Overall: Most people aren’t going to notice these changes, and the description of these as “new” might even be confusing to some. But that’s what Uni Watch is here for! I think it’s an upgrade.
Here’s a gallery of more screenshots from the release video.
Would have been cool to have Shawn or Herman Moore model them.
For people who don’t know, that’s of whom the white helmet/orange jersey combo should immediately remind UVa fans.
I always loved those stripes on the Cavaliers uniforms!
Reminds me of the commercial song I think for Nair…
“Who Wears Short Shorts”
Football pants are getting ridiculously short.
Huge fan of the asymmetrical stripe, actually think it looks better with the white gap though
So, what is this new “jersey technology”?
I suspect it’s just an upgrade from the Vapor Untouchable template to the Vapor FUSE template.
Another triple mono uniform reveal. Shocking. Thank goodness for the Cal Bears!
Cavaliers always look nice.
A good example of a minor change making a major difference.
Reminds me of the 1990 unis. Wish the logo was missing at least on the white helmet.
Wahoo alum here – they missed a golden opportunity to change the awful number font this year. I’ve been mad about this from day one. It’s terrible. Doesn’t belong on a uniform. Scrap them in all sports and go back to block numbering….or almost literally anything else!
Well those three models sure looked badass with their arms crossed – making it impossible to see the jersey numbers. I supposed the face mask is now navy as opposed to grey, which I prefer. I’m not a fan of dark face masks on a white helmet. Grey or white masks look so much better on a white helmet.
Maybe it’s my anti-UVA bias, but the asymmetrical helmet stripes always really bothered me. The asymmetrical pants aren’t quite as annoying, but I think it would all look SO much better with a triple stripe or a Northwestern stripe. I just read a great article about this very topic!
link
This is a slight upgrade. Now fix that dumb number font.
Can you confirm: No Orange Helmets?
(I’m good with anything that doesn’t include orange helmets.)