A look at WVU’s uniform options

There have been a lot of changes with the leadership of West Virginia Athletic Director Oliver Luck and head football coach Dana Holgorsen.

Luck has successfully guided the Mountaineers to the Big 12 Conference, while Holgorsen has implemented an explosive "Air Raid" offense. Between West Virginia’s move away from the stagnant Big East Conference and Holgorsen’s new high-flying offense, higher-quality recruits beginning to think about joining the WVU football program.

One approach Luck and Holgorsen took this season to attract prospects to Morgantown was introducing new gray uniforms. There have also been talks about a complete new line of WVU uniforms next season.

"It’s a recruiting thing," Holgorsen said to the Charleston Daily Mail. "If you look across the country, we’re behind on this. Everyone is going (Nike) Pro Combats. Everyone has three or four new uniforms. We’re far from that. It’s recruiting. Why is everyone doing it? Because the kids want it, it’s television and marketing, and the kids get excited about what they can see."

West Virginia donned Nike Pro Combat uniforms in the 2010 Backyard Brawl, and later that year in the Champs Sports Bowl against North Carolina State. The uniforms paid tribute to the West Virginia coal mining industry with a coal color scheme and canary yellow stripe down the helmet.

The new gray uniforms, with gold and blue accents, will be the first new uniform to be added to the blue, gold and white rotation since the 2010 Nike Pro Combats. With the addition of the gray helmets, jerseys and pants, the Mountaineers have 32 different combinations to choose from.

As for the future, there has been speculation that there will be a complete overhaul of the Mountaineers’ uniforms. While nothing is official, there are a number of options Luck, Holgorsen and the Mountaineers can choose for the makeover.

One option, and a personal favorite of mine, is paying tribute to the history of West Virginia football by going old school. Obviously, the old-school uniforms would need to be updated, but lightening from navy to a deep royal blue and keeping the old gold would provide a refreshing update to a classic Mountaineer look.

The Mountaineers have a number of options for their helmet, as well. While the color will most likely match the uniforms, it is possible school officials will go away from the iconic "Flying WV" logo that has donned the Mountaineer helmets since 1980.

Continuing with the old-school theme, maybe the Mountaineers could go back to the logo that featured an outline of the state of West Virginia with a football overtop and "WVU" running diagonally inside the pigskin. WVU could even unite
old with new with a hybrid logo, such as the "Flying WV" on top of the state outline.

The possibilities are literally infinite. WVU may go with a completely new look, such as black uniforms that fans and players have speculated toward. While black uniforms would most likely be alternates to the traditional blue and gold color scheme, the possibility excites senior running back Shawn Alston.

"Like, if (they) went out and got some all-black (uniforms) I might redshirt this year and come back next year," Alston said.

As I mentioned, none of these changes are definite or official, but as Mountaineer Nation knows, with the new regime of Luck and Holgorsen, anything is possible.