Some have had a number of. Some have had many. The Oregon Geese seemingly provide you with a brand new one each week.
The subject is, in fact, alternate uniforms. One of the best of the perfect 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 at the very least a campus storage closet). A vaunted few have risen to a fair increased tier: cult basic.
With the 2025 faculty soccer season approaching, we determined to run by means of the intensive catalog of alternate uniform choices within the sport since 2000 and parse by means of all of it to find out a few of the most memorable — for higher or for worse.
We broke our superlatives listing down into quite a few 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 here are the perfect, worst and wildest of alternate uniforms from the previous 25 years.
Greatest in present
Within the nominations for our greatest of the perfect, we coated a variety of topical floor. From distinct colours to well-executed throwbacks, our 5 picks provide an array of various methods to make an alternate uniform pop.
Hawai’i Rainbow Warriors: Retro and rainbow, 2015
Florida Worldwide 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 faculty soccer enjoyable. That mentioned, not each outside-the-box alternate uniform thought is created equal. We’re not essentially saying these uniforms are dangerous, however they undoubtedly had been… enterprising.
Florida Gators: Gator-print, 2017
Michigan State Spartans: Neon inexperienced, 2019
Colorado Buffaloes: Throwbacks gone too simplistic, 2009
Notre Dame Combating Irish: Yankee Stadium crossover, 2018
Miami Hurricanes: Orange sleeves, 2005
Craziest helmets
An awesome — or poor — helmet could make or break a uniform, so we created a separate class for a few of the most notable lids. Bonus factors had been awarded for distinctiveness, no matter how well-executed.
Western Kentucky Hilltoppers: Massive Purple 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 ingredient of school soccer is representing a faculty’s hometown or residence state. These three colleges went the furthest in going above and past to satisfy that mission, incorporating their state’s flag into their alternate uniforms. The aesthetic outcomes had been different.
Maryland Terrapins, 2011
Colorado State Rams, 2017
Texas Tech Purple Raiders, 2014
Greatest from the ultimate frontier
An unlikely supply of high quality alternate jerseys lately? Outer house. In truth, space-themed uniforms produced sufficient spectacular alternates that we deemed it worthy of its personal class. Listed here are the perfect of the perfect to have drawn inspiration from the celebs.
UCF Knights: House U, 2023
Purdue Boilermakers: Honoring the college’s astronauts, 2019
Air Pressure Falcons: Representing the House Pressure, 2022
Greatest tribute
Context issues for uniforms, too. Nearly all alternate uniforms symbolize or honor one thing, however some threads have significantly particular motives. These two alternates have established themselves as significantly distinguished within the backstory class.
Boston School Eagles: The crimson bandana collection
The Eagles have donned uniforms that includes a crimson bandana sample and a “FOR WELLES” nameplate yearly 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 Youngsters’s Harbor collection
A practice since 2016, UAB has worn particular jerseys for choose video games as a part of a partnership with Youngsters’s Harbor, a service heart for severely unwell youngsters and their households in Birmingham, Alabama. The Blazers’ Youngsters’s Harbor jerseys function the names of sufferers on the again rather than these of gamers.
Worst development to by no means catch on
Block letter jerseys
A really transient however nonetheless 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 various pitfalls an alternate uniform can hit, these ran the gauntlet.
Altering the aesthetics for the jerseys of groups with basic conventional threads? Test. Unwieldy designs with out grounding in a faculty’s historical past or custom? Test. Creating an odd on-screen viewing expertise? Test. Blissfully, these by no means took maintain outdoors of some Massive Ten one-offs.
Lifetime achievement award
Oregon
Undoubtedly probably the most prolific uniform-producing faculty, the Geese put out extra uniform mixtures in a season than some applications do in a decade. As an alternative of making an attempt to decide on which classes to fit them into — since they’ve produced sufficient memorable mixtures to be concerned in nearly each choice, 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 one within the recreation has dedicated to a bit fairly like Notre Dame. The Combating Irish began in 2022, parodying “The Hangover” to unveil their uniforms for that yr’s Shamrock Collection recreation 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 Road” 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 recreation
Admittedly, there will not be a ton of matchups producing alternate uniform matchups on an annual foundation. Or any, for that matter. Nevertheless it 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 recreation lately. So, like Oregon, we have created a particular class to spotlight a few of 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 actually memorable. On November 1, 2007, Virginia Tech performed a routine street recreation towards Georgia Tech. There was only one concern — a few of the Hokies’ jerseys had gone lacking. Because of this, 4 Virginia Tech gamers needed to play with the one further uniforms readily available: Yellow Jacket street jerseys, with new names scrawled on the again and “Georgia Tech” blacked out on the entrance.