New Wake Forest Football Jerseys

[wlightcap]

Wake Forest is the latest convert to the Nike Elite football jersey. Same model as Clemson, Miami et al.

According to Wake media guide.

[Ben5]

Close. I am pretty sure the jerseys will closer to that of Missouri than Miami or Clemson.

Give me a month and I'll be able to find out for sure.

[TenaciousG]

Wake Forest is the latest convert to the Nike Elite football jersey

Apparently in the world of Nike, "elite" is synonomous with "ridiculous". I'm willing to bet someone at Nike HQ has a sketch of a Penn State jersey with piping and a back stripe. I hope for the best with Wake Forest since Mizzou and Clemson's aren't that bad.

[TFoA]

Doggone it, these "elite" unis are getting on my nerves. Nike needs to get traditional. It worked with Miami, just because they're Miami. It worked with Va Tech because they've always had funky uniforms. It worked with Clemson because if you have orange as one of your colors then it's already a funky concept to begin with. But when you see Arizona, Wake Forest, and Mizzou just copycatting, then it just gets meh.

Nike confounds me. They can do amazing stuff like the World Cup unis and other stuff like that, but when it comes to football nowadays, all they seem to put out is crap.

[Ben5]

Doggone it, these "elite" unis are getting on my nerves. Nike needs to get traditional. It worked with Miami, just because they're Miami. It worked with Va Tech because they've always had funky uniforms. It worked with Clemson because if you have orange as one of your colors then it's already a funky concept to begin with. But when you see Arizona, Wake Forest, and Mizzou just copycatting, then it just gets meh.

Nike confounds me. They can do amazing stuff like the World Cup unis and other stuff like that, but when it comes to football nowadays, all they seem to put out is crap.

Actually, I like the Mizzou jerseys better than Miami or Clemson. They both have the back piping, which is stupid. Mizzou (and Wake, I believe) have the piping, but it is limited to the side and not the back. If we were gonna go, I'm gald we took this path and not the one traveled by Arizona or Miami.

[floydnimrod]

Doggone it, these "elite" unis are getting on my nerves. Nike needs to get traditional. It worked with Miami, just because they're Miami. It worked with Va Tech because they've always had funky uniforms. It worked with Clemson because if you have orange as one of your colors then it's already a funky concept to begin with. But when you see Arizona, Wake Forest, and Mizzou just copycatting, then it just gets meh.

Nike confounds me. They can do amazing stuff like the World Cup unis and other stuff like that, but when it comes to football nowadays, all they seem to put out is crap.

Actually, I like the Mizzou jerseys better than Miami or Clemson. They both have the back piping, which is stupid. Mizzou (and Wake, I believe) have the piping, but it is limited to the side and not the back. If we were gonna go, I'm gald we took this path and not the one traveled by Arizona or Miami.

I agree, The Miami jerseys are meh, kinda broing to me. The piping is atrocious. But the halfway side panels and the pipng on Mizzou's jerseys makes them look sweet. I really liked the Miami uniforms from 2003 and other years before and after that.

[wlightcap]

You're right Ben..It will be the Mizzou look with the side panel..

[SabreGuy]

OK, this is something I've been wondering for a while...

what is the motivation for all of these universities to use a "template" jersey design?

I mean, I can see it for a high school, because it has to be a lot cheaper if they can order uni's using a template in the school colors, rather than forcing the uni manufacturer to make something according to your specs.

But, for example, wouldn't you assume that the Wake Forest football program has enough money to go to some uni manufacturer (be it Nike or whomever) and say "This is how our uni's look. Make them, and we'll pay you what it costs."

Instead, now we get Wake Forest looking like Mizzou, looking like any number of other schools. And I don't understand WHY Wake Forest would want to look like Mizzou. Is Nike paying THEM to use the jersies? I guess that would be it, but... God, the tradeoff is just too much.

"here, take our piece of c#@p jersies, and we'll float you a few bucks, and make it back on sales to fans"??? Is that really how the discussion goes?

If WFU is paying for these template jersies, they're getting ripped off.

[jimsimo]

More crappy uniforms - just what college football needs.

Too bad there isn't a big designer out there that specialized in a traditional look.

[doafhat]

OK, this is something I've been wondering for a while...

what is the motivation for all of these universities to use a "template" jersey design?

I can't speak for all the other schools, but from what I've been told in Oklahoma State's case, it was a matter of Nike effectively forcing OSU to make the switch.

For the last couple of years, OSU fans had been pushing for changing the "calculator numbers" on the football uniforms to something more traditional. When OSU went to Nike asking to change the number style on the uniforms and essentially roll back the uniforms to the Thurman Thomas era, Nike decided to play hardball. OSU was told that if they wanted block numbers on their football uniforms, they would have to switch to Nike's so-called "Elite" uniforms.

Since OSU is under contract with Nike, and was facing a lot of pressure from the fanbase to change the number style, the school was really forced into joining what I call the Axis of Piping. However, OSU's contract with Nike runs out in 2007, so you can probably expect the Cowboys to go back to traditional uniforms then - when OSU either forces Nike's hand by threatening to jump to another manufacturer, or by actually making the jump.

[Ben5]

From what I understand, the switch was voluntary by Wake. The original plan was to just switch the home for the new style to try it out (mainly for cleaning purposes and such) and keep their older white jerseys, but Groves Stadium switch to FieldTurf, so y just replaced both. I asked whether they had to change to the new jerseys, and the answer was no. I really don't see a difference between teams choosing the piping now and when every other team started using the Bronco template. It's just what Nike offers, and teams choose one of the choices. I'm not defending Nike; it's just how they operate.

[andrewharrington]

It worked with Va Tech because they've always had funky uniforms.

Funky? Clean, classic, awesome maybe, but certainly not funky.

[cward]

Funky? Clean, classic, awesome maybe, but certainly not funky.

I'm w/ Andrew on this one...so disappointed nike got the chance to change them...they were classic, traditional, yet so original and unique all at the same time...

i just remember watching the highlights of the game they upset miami at home a couple years back when they played at night in solid maroon...makes me only wish even more they had never switched. oh well.

[creativelysain]

Here they are...this is a grayscale version, so I would assume gold where the gray is...

[fonz]

I'll wait till I see the final product to decide if I like em.

[walkdesign]

I think you are all anti-Nike crazies....

Sure they have made some mistakes, but those elite jerseys are just better to play in, and isn't the end result? And there are two types of piping.. the nice and clean VT piping and then the over the top around the back piping, so all piping is not the the same. And I don't know how you can call VT's old uniforms classic... the two opposite color number combo's were just stupid and bad design. Not to mention the "VT" logo is awful. There is no motion to it and it is blocky and dated.

The bigger issue with Wake Forest, is there helmet. The WF is just terrible, there is no thought put into it. They need to put the cool Demon Deacon on the helmet, that would be great. But it is probably some stupid bible belt thing about the character... ugh.

[TGroce]

lightbluenc, where did you find this? Also, do you know of any tweaks to UNC's uni for this fall?

[pittfan11]

I like Va Techs jerseys the best out of all of the new jerseys

[wlightcap]

The bigger issue with Wake Forest, is there helmet. The WF is just terrible, there is no thought put into it. They need to put the cool Demon Deacon on the helmet, that would be great. But it is probably some stupid bible belt thing about the character... ugh.

No, it's more that the Demon Deacon on a helmet would look outrageously silly...

Having a great mascot logo doesn't mean it would work on a helmet...it would look like a fantasy football helmet. Usually the best looking football helmets are relatively plain, simple logos.

[Ben5]

Ladies and gentlemen, here is a photo of running backs Micah Andrews and De'Angelo Bryant from yesterday's media day at Groves Stadium.

Thanks to De'Angelo for the photo.

Changes: Piping (same as Mizzou), smaller cut, no TV numbers, and no drop shadow. Personally, I think this is an upgrade.