The new trend with the 2013 uniforms from Nike is a watermark on the numbers. We’ve seen in with California, UConn, and a few others. The Vols have been an “adidas team” since the mid-1990s, but the trend has spilled over to their new threads. Most noticeably, the new uniforms for the Tennessee Volunteers have script “Tennessee” on the road uniforms. That’s new, and hasn’t been done in recent memory. Also, the black border around the numbers is gone. The black border came into play during the mid-1990s, and helped TV cameras and commentators pick up the numbers from the press boxes (which in the SEC are all wayyyy up there). But in the day and age of high definition TVs, the border is not needed as much. The numbers are thicker and bolder, and and feature a checkerboard pattern on the numerals. The home orange uniform has a “Power T” on the front center in place of the scripted “Tennessee”.
The back of the uniforms feature an icon over the player name. The home jersey will have the insignia of the state of Tennessee, and the road uniform has a “Power T”. Also, the new uniforms will have a new texture over the shoulders like some of the other adidas schools such as UCLA, with the new TechFit uniform system.
However, the biggest news is the introduction of the new alternate uniform. As mentioned in our post “Official Colors for the University of Tennesse“, a new color has been inducted to their pallet; Smokey Grey. With that, the Vols will be wearing a new uniform against an SEC opponent later this year.
For fans, we will be carrying plenty of the new Smokey Grey jerseys as well as home and road uniforms. Notice the undershirt the model is wearing? The Vols Base Layer Tee has been popular with fans already, with the checkerboard pattern on the sleeves. The replica jerseys for fans to purchase will feature screen printed numbers and script, which is a bit more comfy than sewn on twill. But we have carried the authentic jerseys before, so stay tuned.
In the SEC East alone, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, Kentucky, and now Tennessee will all have uniform tweaks for the 2013 Season. Among those, Tennessee and Georgia will have the most wholesale changes.