Maroon and White
Texas A&M's move to the SEC was bold but new Aggie football uniforms appear alittle bland
The new Texas A&M football uniforms show subtle changes.
The adizero Smoke gloves, perhaps the most exciting addition to the uniform,features the new logo. When players join their hands, the two gloves cometogether to form the A&M logo.Aggie Athletics/Facebook
The new A&M logo features in the old one in an outline of the state of TexasAggie Athletics/Facebook
Texas A&M made a bold move in jumping to the Southeastern Conference, but the team's new football uniforms, unveiled Thursday, are not nearly as noteworthy.
The athletic program has been revealing bits and pieces of the jersey all week on the university's Facebook account, but the final product was displayed in a ceremony led by team announcer Chance Murphy. The uniforms, designed by adidas TECHFIT, were modeled by wide receiver Ryan Swope, joker Caleb Russell and linebackers Sean Porter and Jonathan Stewart.
The changes in appearance are subtle and somewhat disappointing in a time when such schools at Maryland, Georgia and Oregon have welcomed bold, new uniform designs.
Adidas representative Mark Daniels said the design drew inspiration from the Aggies' rich history. The addition of vertical stripes are a tribute to the shoulder stripes on the 1970's era jerseys. Two vertical stripes extend down the side with the "12th Man" designation on the base layer.
The new jersey keeps the lettering across the top of the jersey and bold white numbers on the front. The numbers on the back are white with gray shading inside. The jerseys feature the SEC logo on the shoulder.
The pants, which come in both maroon and white, sport a single, solid stripe down the side of the leg as well as the new logo — the traditional ATM logo framed by an outline of the state of Texas —on the hip.
The adizero Smoke gloves, perhaps the most exciting addition to the uniform, features the new logo as well. When players join their hands, the two gloves come together to form the logo. This design was used last season by multiple college football teams.
The helmet also remained similar except for the new coloration of the face mask. It's now painted gray instead of white. Created in conjunction with Hydro Graphics Inc., the helmet is painted an anodized maroon, a finish that looks similar to a matte finish. The back of the helmet features an SEC pennant logo, the American flag, and the number of the player in a corresponding color.
The uniforms are lighter (by 30 percent) and technological innovations make for fewer seams and a streamlined fit. But the changes in appearance are subtle and somewhat disappointing in a time when such schools at Maryland, Georgia and Oregon have welcomed bold, new uniform designs. It seems as if the Aggies did not take full advantage of the opportunity to herald their entrance to the new conference.
That said, the uniforms are undeniably better than the "SEC Welcome" video — another step in the Aggies transition to the SEC.
