Welcome Back to Uniformity
Welcome back, everyone! With this being the first game week of the 2024 season, it so too begins the 10th season of Uniformity! When this all started, I never could have imagined this column would last this long, nor that it would have this strong of a following with such amazing and engaging readers, but here we are! Thank you for the many years of sticking with me, and if you’re new here, let’s have some fun talking about the uniform side of ASU Football and athletics as a whole!
It’s a new season with a new conference, new athletic director, new roster, and renewed hope. A lot that has taken place in this offseason to change the outlook for the 2024 season, compared to 2023, has been for the better. While I still mourn the loss of the Pac-12, entering a conference with reinvigorated life like the Big 12 is a big step in the right direction. ASU named Graham Rossini as its next Director of Athletics in May, and he has already made an impact. He has made himself very accessible and has had an immediate influence in improving the gameday experience. Look for less expensive parking and various specially-themed signature food items to be served at each football game this season. The transfer portal and recruits out of the high school ranks have breathed new life into this program. Those new to the team have bought into Coach Dillingham’s culture and have made an impact on the practice field, leading to higher hopes than the Big 12 media would lead one to believe.
Another new item of note is that of the new ASU Football Equipment Manager, Bryan Harrod, who has taken over the room, coming to Tempe by way of Nebraska, where he worked with the Cornhuskers for a decade. Arthur Heuzard, who has been in the equipment room for a few years now and was the interim assistant equipment manager last season in 2023, has officially been given that title for this 2024 season.
2024 Uniform Outlook
Last season, ASU and adidas introduced a new uniform template that reverted to a more classic look for the Sun Devils. For the first time since 2008, the maroon jersey featured a white border around the player numbers rather than a black border. The gold numbers on the maroon jersey and the maroon numbers on the white jerseys also featured a subtle sublimated flame pattern within them. We will see this uniform template again for its second season in circulation.
The Sun Devils have also already released a gold alternate jersey to be used this season on the new adidas Strategy jersey template. With this release brings the return of the “Arizona State” wordmark to the chest of the jersey, a detail which I hope will continue into the future. I covered the jersey reveal two weeks ago, but in case you missed it, here is a photo from the Sun Devil Athletics media release.
That’s all we know of for now. Time will tell if ASU shall have any more uniform tricks up their sleeves throughout the season.
The Week to Come
Uniform
When the Sun Devils take the field for the first time in 2024 against Wyoming, they will continue the tradition that began in 2011 of wearing the traditional gold helmet/maroon jersey/gold pant uniform combination for the first home game of the season.
The maroon jersey features the Arizona state flag as a stripe on either side of the uniform. It is dark gray, with the rays leading up and fading into the armpit, the star around the base of the rib cage, and the river block running downward and eventually fading towards the waist. There is no identifying letter or word mark on the front or back of the jersey. Another update comes on the uniform numbers.
The maroon jerseys feature gold player numbers outlined in white on both the front and back of the jersey, as well as the TV numbers on the sleeves. Though it may be hard to see, the numbers on the front and back of the jerseys have a subtle, tonal flame pattern within the gold.
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 maroon. On the front of the jersey, near the left shoulder, is a gold adidas logo. Near the right shoulder is a maroon and gold Big 12 logo with a maroon border. Last but not least, 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 large gold pitchfork with maroon trim on the right thigh and a maroon adidas logo near the left hip.
Helmet
The gold helmet features standard maroon pitchfork decals with gold. There is also a two-tone center stripe, which boasts a bold maroon center outlined by thin strips of gold. The facemask is maroon, and the front bumper has a white base and maroon “Sun Devils” text with each letter outlined in a thin, gold border.
The decals on the back of the helmet include a white Big 12 logo with a maroon border, a maroon PT*42 shield honoring the legendary Sun Devil, Pat Tillman, a maroon Warning label which is in the shape of the state of Arizona, features maroon text, and has a small, gold pitchfork over Tempe, and an American flag. The decals on the back of the helmet are rounded by the maroon “Arizona State” text, with each letter outlined in a thin, gold border on a white base rear bumper.
Cleats and Socks
Maroon cleats will be worn for the opening game. From left to right, there are four different types of cleats. The first two pairs are lighter cleats and are typically worn by speed position players (wide receivers and defensive backs), while the last two pairs are worn by heavier players (linemen).
From left to right, the pair furthest to the left is the adizero Electric. It features a maroon gold sole with the maroon occupying the front half of the sole while the gold takes up the back half and reaches partway up the heel. They have a textured maroon base that has a bit of a sparkle element to it, with three gold stripes and an adizero wordmark on the outside of the shoe. The top portion of the cleat is a primeknit and has the adidas logo near the instep. It has maroon laces and a maroon finger loop on the heel. The next pair is the adizero Impact. It features a gold sole and a gold plastic band that reaches up towards the heel on either side of the shoe. The maroon base has three gold stripes on the outside of the shoe, while there is a gold adidas logo on the instep. The maroon laces lead up to the gold adizero wordmark on the tongue, and the cleat also has a maroon finger loop on the heel.
The final two pairs are adizero Chaos models, which are made for more ankle support for heavier linemen. The second to last pair is the adizero Chaos. It features a shiny gold plastic sole and a two-tone maroon and gold colorway on the main body of the shoe. The front half towards the toe is gold and features three maroon stripes on the outside of the foot, while the back half towards the heel is maroon. The cleat also features maroon laces with a maroon finger loop on the heel. The fourth and final pair is the adizero Chaos Torsion. It shares almost all of the major color characteristics as the Chaos. The main difference is that the sole is a gold rubberized material designed for better grip on the grass and it also features a small plastic maroon plate on the instep of the sole.
Maroon socks will be worn to match the cleats as well.
Gloves
The Sun Devils will wear 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 white adizeros 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 seams around the wrist, and a maroon adizero word mark on the pointer finger. The gloves in the middle are adidas Freaks, worn by larger skill position players such as linebackers and tight ends.
The white adidas Freak gloves feature the same maroon pitchfork palm design as the adizero, maroon seams around the wrist, and a maroon adidas logo on the back of the hand. 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 the course of a game.
They are plain white with black padding 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 the black wrist wrap with a gold strap.
Reaction
It’s a brand new season with new players, a new athletic director, and a new football equipment manager. What remains unchanged are the colors. The traditional maroon and gold colors, the best and most iconic of all colors in all of sports, are on full display in the first week of the season.
The return of what was a new uniform template last season is not entirely unwelcome. The most glaring issue with this uniform template is still the lack of any team identifier on the jersey. It is nice to see that the gold jersey that ASU revealed two weeks ago will have that Arizona State wordmark across the chest. That being said, I still absolutely love the white borders around the gold numbers. They make the numbers really pop off of that maroon jersey while providing a sense of old-school charm, harkening back to Sun Devil football uniforms prior to 2009.
Perhaps the biggest change that we will all need to get used to this season is the replacement of the Pac-12 shield with the Big 12 Roman Numeral “XII” logo. It seems to fit right in without much drop shock on the jersey. The white decal on the back of the gold helmet is a pretty stark difference and probably the detail I’m least crazy about on this week’s uniform.
Otherwise, this is an unmistakably beautiful uniform. I can’t wait to watch the Sun Devils take the field and take advantage of the opportunity to better themselves from a season ago.
Now, let’s cheer on Sun Devil Football. Welcome back to Uniformity.
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
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