Welcome Back, Sun Devil Nation
A year ago, we were just about to embark on a promising season after having to wait two years for a full season. An abbreviated season caused by the original onset of the pandemic in 2020 gave us a taste, but in reality, we waited two years for a true season of Sun Devil football. Somehow, even though the waiting period has been the normal nine months as any other normal season, ASU fans have been put through something of a ringer, and it feels like we’ve waited even longer for this 2022 campaign to begin.
I know that what we as an ASU community have dealt with over the past year has not been easy. What has felt like a series of gut punches led by investigation uncertainty, NIL, conference realignment, and a big shift in the roster have led us to this moment. But we’re here, folks. If you’re reading this, it’s likely that after a rough offseason, you care, and you’ve made it. Let’s shelve the offseason stuff for the next 13 weeks because come September 1st; we will be in Sun Devil Stadium watching Sparky stomp the bus during a crazy LED light show and pyrotechnics flying off the field as our beloved football team storms out of Tillman Tunnel to take on NAU. Let’s cheer for the players. Those that are here are all in and have a team chemistry we haven’t seen in the locker room in years. We have a 12-game regular season to look forward to, which, of course, means 12 uniforms to cover.
The Week to Come
Uniform
When the Devils take the field against the Lumberjacks, they will keep with tradition. Since the 2011 rebrand, the Sun Devils have always made sure to wear their traditional gold helmet/maroon jersey/gold pant uniform combination for the first home game of the season, and that tradition will continue in this 2022 season.
As a reminder, these uniforms utilize a process called sublimation, in which heat is used to transfer ink into the uniform, providing a tonal effect within the color scheme of each jersey. The maroon jersey features a sublimated Arizona state flag in representing the sunset and the star across the chest in lieu of identifying text which is now on the back of the jersey. The gold player numbers on the uniforms being worn this Thursday are outlined in black on both the front and back of the jersey, as are the TV numbers on the sleeves. The TV numbers on the sleeves take the place of the pitchfork stylized shoulder stripes.
The nameplate on the back of the jersey utilizes the gold Sun Devil Bold font, and above the nameplate is a small, gold “ASU” outlined in black. On the front of the jersey, near the left shoulder, is a gold Adidas logo. Near the right shoulder is a maroon and gold Pac 12 shield. Finally, at the base of the collar is the black PT*42 shield in honor of ASU Football legend Pat Tillman.
The gold pants have a small gold pitchfork with black trim near the right hip and a maroon adidas logo near the left hip. “Sun Devils” is in maroon Sun Devil Bold font running vertically along the side of the left thigh. There is paneling on the pants that features the darker tonal gold, not only providing further dimension to the uniform as a whole but also serving a purpose in providing a greater range of motion.
Helmet
The gold helmet, which has typically featured standard maroon pitchfork decals, introduced a bit more flash last season and will do so again this year. The traditional gloss gold helmet returns for a second consecutive season after replacing the matte gold last year. The gloss gold helmet will feature standard-sized chrome maroon pitchfork decals with chrome gold trim. There is also a two-tone center stripe which boasts a bold chrome maroon center outlined by thin strips of chrome gold. The facemask is maroon, and the front bumper has a chrome gold base and metallic maroon font that reads PT*42, also honoring the legendary Sun Devil, Pat Tillman. An added element to the PT*42 front bumper decal is that the star separating the PT and 42 doubles as the star in the Arizona state flag, with tonal gold rays rising from it in a subtle detail. This ties together well with the sublimated state flag on the jersey, lending to more continuity in the overall uniform.
The maroon decals on the back of the helmet include the Pac 12 shield and the Warning label, which is in the shape of the state of Arizona, featured maroon text and has a small maroon pitchfork over Tempe. The decals on the back of the helmet are rounded by the maroon “Sun Devils” text over a desert landscape silhouette on the helmet’s rear bumper.
Cleats and Socks
White cleats will be worn for the opening game. From left to right, there are three different types of cleats. The first six pairs are a mix of AdiZero and Freaks, and the last two are Nastys. The AdiZero cleats are typically worn by speed position players (wide receivers and defensive backs), while the Freaks have a hybrid element and can be worn by mid-size players (fullbacks, linebackers, and tight ends), and the Nasty cleats are worn by heavier players (linemen).
From left to right, the pair furthest to the left is the Freak Ultra Laceless. It features a white sole and white base with a maroon pixel gradient pattern around the bottom of the shoe and a primeknit center outlined by a maroon-lined starburst pattern. As the name suggests, this cleat does not have any laces but instead has three maroon adidas stripes where the laces would usually be. It is rounded out with a maroon Freak logo on the heel of the cleat. The next pair is an AdiZero which features a white base and sole, a maroon tongue, maroon laces, three maroon adidas stripes near the toe on the outside of the shoe, and a prominent maroon AdiZero logo with a digital ghost effect on the instep near the arch. It also has a maroon finger loop on the heel. The third is the AdiZero Scorch which is a Primeknit mid-top. It is white on the outside of the shoe and on the sole, but more prominently maroon on the instep and throughout the rest of the top of the shoe. The maroon instep features a maroon tonal AdiZero logo with a digital ghost effect and a maroon finger loop on the heel.
There are two more pairs of adidas Freaks in the middle of the group of cleats. The Freak pair on the left is the Freak mid. It has a white base and maroon sole, white laces, a white tongue with a maroon Freak logo on it, three maroon adidas stripes on the outside of the cleat near the toe, and a prominent maroon adidas logo on the instep. The Freak pair on the right is the Freak Ultra. It features all of the major base aesthetics as the Freak Mid but also features some gray primeknit material, maroon stitch detailing around the lace eyelets, and a maroon finger loop on the heel. The next pair is the third AdiZero pair. All of the major elements of this pair of cleats are white except for the three maroon adidas stripes on the outside of the shoe near the toe and the maroon adidas log on the instep.
The final two pairs on the right are Nasty cleats. The second to last pair is the Nasty Torsion. It is a heavier duty cleat with a white base and sole, white laces, white eyelets with maroon accents, a white tongue with a maroon Nasty logo on it, three maroon adidas stripes on the outside of the cleat, a maroon adidas logo on the inside of the cleat near the heel, a small plastic maroon plate on the arch, and a maroon and gold finger loop that mimics the styling of the lace eyelets. The far right pair is the Nasty Fly. It essentially shares all the same major details as the Nasty Torsion; however, it is not as heavy duty, and instead of a white sole, it features a metallic maroon sole.
Many players will be wearing these new release white Freak cleats that feature a maroon semicircle sunburst shape around the toe with maroon pointillism shading down to the sole. They have a maroon Freak logo on the instep and three maroon stripes on the outside of the shoe, along with a white sole.
White socks will be worn to match the cleats as well.
Gloves
The Sun Devils will wear maroon and white gloves, and as with the cleats, there are different gloves for different positions. The gloves on the top are AdiZeros which are typically worn by speed position players like wide receivers and defensive backs. The maroon gloves feature a maroon pitchfork with gold trim on the palm of each glove. They also have a maroon adidas logo on the back of the hand, maroon striping and a small “Z” AdiZero letter mark on the wrist strap, and maroon stitching along the wrist strap. The gloves in the middle are adidas Freaks, worn by larger skill position players such as linebackers and tight ends.
The maroon adidas Freak gloves feature a palm design so that when the palms are placed together, it completes the image of the gold ASU Sunburst made famous by the 1975 undefeated Sun Devil team. On the back of the glove, the adidas Freaks also have some extra padding, a white adidas logo, and white striping, and the Freak logo on the wrist strap. Finally, for linemen, the gloves on the bottom are adidas Freak-Max, which boast extra padding on the heel of the palm meant to withstand all of the contact that linemen endure throughout a game. They are plain white and black two-tone on the palm, and along with a maroon adidas logo on the back of the hand, they also have gold accents on the knuckles and wrist wrap.
Reaction
A sea of maroon and gold is set to pour out from Tillman Tunnel and onto the grassy gridiron that makes up Frank Kush Field. It’s up to us as a community and fan base to allow that moment to act as an antiseptic that washes away any of the other issues surrounding the program between then and Thanksgiving weekend and hopefully beyond. The players on this team are fulfilling their collegiate dreams and have made conscious decisions to be Sun Devils, just like the rest of us have. The 2022 season is for these players, and it’s up to us as a fanbase to show up and support them.
What does this have to do with uniforms? I don’t know. Nothing? Everything? Who are the ones that fill out those uniforms? How do those uniforms make us all feel? Uniforms are the longest-standing connection we have to this program. We see them and feel inspired. Then the performance of the team wearing the uniforms is what forms the tales to tell for generations.
Every week I publish an article, I see people ask, “Who cares about uniforms? They could be wearing purple. As long as they win, I don’t care.” Only they do care. The uniforms drive identity. Football, and college football, more than anything else, inspires with these images of individuals drenched in their bold school colors over imposing shaped pads and topped with iconic helmets. College football fans have always identified uniforms as a visual focal point of what makes this sport different. That’s why we have such a microscope on them and why there is such excitement over how teams can be both creative and identifiable. This equipment staff does this better than any other team in the country.
Gold helmets will sit atop maroon jerseys and gold pants this Thursday. Those helmets will have maroon on either side and running down the center. There will be gold throughout the stands of Sun Devil Stadium. A new quarterback who has earned the trust of his teammates will lead scoring drives. Maroon and gold will streak out ahead of the white visiting jerseys towards the end zone as the crowd stands and cheers ever louder until they break the plane for six. And those uniforms that we so identify with will be front and center the whole time, inspiring us. I’m excited. Are you?
What Color ASU Fans Should Wear: Gold
#Faniforms Presented by Cactus Sports
That’s right, folks! The Uniformity partnership with Cactus Sports is back. Another season long #faniforms contest will culminate in a grand prize. Much like last year, three #faniforms will continue to be chosen at random each week. They will then be voted upon weekly in a Twitter poll to decide which of those three #faniforms will become a contest finalist. At the end of the regular season, all of the finalists will be entered into a final vote, with the grand prize being a $125 gift card to Cactus Sports! Remember, when posting to Twitter, remember to use the hashtag #faniform and tag the Uniformity Twitter account @ASU_Uniformity
