Illinois Football Uniforms

#176      
mattcoldagelli
There's a lot of nonsense in there, as there always is with these (Royals LOL), but this is a gorgeous Baltimore hat:

orange-baltimore-orioles-2026-city-connect-59fifty-fitted-hat_ss5_p-203427876+pv-1+u-boc3hhyvejvrwnhvzqzd+v-nvegbvi4ad7cuydepbsn.jpg
 
#178      
TentakilRex
mattcoldagelli said:
There's a lot of nonsense in there, as there always is with these (Royals LOL), but this is a gorgeous Baltimore hat:

orange-baltimore-orioles-2026-city-connect-59fifty-fitted-hat_ss5_p-203427876+pv-1+u-boc3hhyvejvrwnhvzqzd+v-nvegbvi4ad7cuydepbsn.jpg
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The caps except for KC are not the issue. The Rangers cap are cool, the jerseys are lazy.
 
#179      
the juiceman cometh
TentakilRex said:
Do not expect much good from Nike this year

https://twitter.com/x/status/2042241232785543169

Also pray that they do not outsource to Fanatics, we are low on their totem pole.
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City Connect jerseys are special one-offs that are meant to be funky and weird, and have nothing to do with college basketball or football.

Whereas Adidas comes out with absolute abominations year in and year out and forces its teams to wear them. Nike, on the other hand, made a bad design but also didn't get upset and completely accommodated us when we eventually abandoned it and went with a host of retro-inspired alternatives. I don't recall us ever having to come out in some weird practice jersey looking special edition anything.

Aside from the abhorrent design and quality of Adidas jerseys to anyone who has eyes (seriously, get yours checked man), the most important thing with the upcoming sponsorship deal is going to be NIL investment. If we become a priority for Nike, they have a lot more money. Adidas probably isn't giving us more money unless they make us a flagship. And they're not going to make us a flagship. They just added two new flagships, Penn St. and Tennessee, and the common denominator there is Football is King. They just spent a ton of money on those two schools.

Meanwhile Nike recently launched a program called Blue Ribbon Elite, which agrees to give direct NIL endorsements to a set number of athletes at member schools. This is potentially a huge recruitment tool across the athletic department. The only schools currently in this new program are LSU and Texas. I have to imagine Nike wants to expand this program into the Big Ten, and with our contract expiring and having just made the Final Four, it seems like a great time for us to negotiate that.
 
#180      
TentakilRex
the juiceman cometh said:
Meanwhile Nike recently launched a program called Blue Ribbon Elite, which agrees to give direct NIL endorsements to a set number of athletes at member schools. This is potentially a huge recruitment tool across the athletic department. The only schools currently in this new program are LSU and Texas. I have to imagine Nike wants to expand this program into the Big Ten, and with our contract expiring and having just made the Final Four, it seems like a great time for us to negotiate that.
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OK, now you are talking sense.....

Still need the some Illini Air Pegasuses to exist before we get too hyped.
 
#181      
mattcoldagelli
the juiceman cometh said:
I have to imagine Nike wants to expand this program into the Big Ten, and with our contract expiring and having just made the Final Four, it seems like a great time for us to negotiate that.
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Not that there's ever a bad time for our absolutely unhinged fan base to show out like they did in Indianapolis, but this was an especially good one.
 
#190      
OrangeBlue98
ChiefGritty said:
"The perfect thing is a tweak we haven't yet seen", a tradition unlike any other in this thread.
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That’s a fair point. I like the white facemask much more than the gray for the orange helmets. It’s probably my nostalgia as a kid in the 1980s with the arched Illini, but I’ve always wanted them to use that so much more for both football helmets and apparel.
 
#198      
MaineIllini
1) Arched Illini - always favorite
2,3) tie - script or slant on orange helmet ok
4) blue helmet- last place
 
#199      
BZuppke
1) Arched Illin
2) Orange with script

27) Navy with script
246) 90s style slant

I would ban the Navy and the slant Illinois.
 
#200      
WyattEarp
* The arched helmet is the only clear winner. Then orange script, blue script…slant…

I dislike the slant most. But the script just doesn’t work on a football helmet or in an end zone very well IMO. Although, it sure looks great on a basketball uni.

It’ll never happen but this logo with a white and navy strip down the middle. That is one versatile sharp logo…that we don’t make enough use out of IMO.

IMG_8207.jpeg


Lastly the impossible dream:
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