These NCAA Football Concept Uniforms Are Incredible

Ashley Schaeffer BMW11 years ago

Earlier this week, you may have seen several renderings of new NFL jerseys floating around the Internet. They certainly caught my eye, so I took it upon myself to check out some other work by their creator, a freelance graphic artist known as Mr. Design Junkie. The handle is an alias for one Dettrick Morgan, an Atlanta resident, according to his Twitter profile.

While I thought his NFL concept jerseys were a little hit or miss (not taking away from the ones he smashed out of the park) I was straight blown away by the NCAA concept designs I found. They were published recently, so hopefully some design execs take notice of any traction they may start to pick up–I feel like this guy certainly has a future in the biz.

Here are the coolest NCAA concept uniforms I came across.

Michigan

As a Penn State alumnus, it really, really pains me to say this–but these Wolverine uniforms are downright incredible. Awesome concept with the state of Michigan and the Great Lakes, and the “M” on the top left shoulder is pretty cool, too. I could definitely see a ton of maize and blue faithful sporting these the next time they visit Happy Valley to get trounced.

USC

I feel like he took one of the most iconic uniforms in the game and made it even better here. The huge interlocking “SC” on the chest is pretty cool, and I’m sure Nike would even approve of that logo placement. The helmets look to be really unique too, as is the placement of the large number on top of the left shoulder pad.

Alabama

Out of all the NCAA renderings, Mr. Design Junkie probably stayed closest to the existing uniform with Alabama. This is understandable, because it’s probably pretty tough to change things up in that program without Saban’s approval, even hypothetically. I can’t see him wanting to stray too much from tradition. The “A” on the shoulders is a cool addition, though.

Miami

Right off the bat, I thought the “The U” insignia across the chest was awesome. I also like the logo design on the socks. The “Miami” placement on the hip pad is pretty decent, too, and it looks like the helmets will all but stay the same. Personally, I think taking a page out of Oregon’s book and making them a metallic silver would totally set them off. There is no doubt these things would sell like hotcakes in Coral Gables.

Ohio State

I must say, Mr. Design Junkie came in pretty hot with all of his Big Ten designs. Despite having the same level of hatred for the Buckeyes as I do Michigan, I cannot in good faith knock these jerseys. The concept is incredibly unique with the flow of the recognizable Buckeye helmet sticker throughout the whole uniform. Also, the “O” on the chest with a buckeye hanging off it is pretty neat, and it brings a cool touch of color to the jersey. It might need a little more rendering, though, if it’s ever to see shelves. I can definitely see angry mothers making a case that it looks like a pot leaf.

UCLA

Not much more to say than I think these are awesome as well. Not too over the top, but still something far from the norm. These would definitely look good flying around the Rose Bowl on Saturdays, and a cool alternative could be “Bruins” across the chest instead.

Texas A&M

Despite being a Longhorns fan, one of my fellow contributors, OscarBluthTFM, even thought that these uniforms could get the Aggie faithful on board. I can’t say I disagree with that notion. I think the “Texas” scrawl across the chest and shoulders is a really cool font, and the “A” and “M” are really cool on the kneepads, respectively. These jerseys just look fast. If they ever make it to the field, it’ll be a shame we won’t see Johnny Football ever tearing it up in one of them.

Texas

The Longhorn across the chest is really cool here, but I feel like maybe this one could have come out a little better. Instead of having the number tucked away to the side of the logo, it would look really decent below the longhorn on the stomach, without a circle around it. The state of Texas on the knee is a really good thought, but again, I’d probably do away with the circle around it. You Texas guys can tell me how you feel in the comments, I guess.

Virginia Tech

Flawless execution right here, Mr. Design Junkie. These are very legit, and I’m sure most of the Blacksburg faithful would agree. The white uniform with orange shoulders looks especially sharp.

Florida

I must admit, I’m kind of meh on the Gators design. I would’ve liked to see the actual Gator as the center of focus, because Albert is basically a quintessential figure in NCAA lore. I’d probably bring Tebow on board to iron out some of the flaws in this one–it just seems as if there is a lot of potential left on the table here.

Florida State

Conversely, I really like what MDJ did with the Gators’ cross-state rival and defending national champion’s game day apparel. The ‘Noles would look great in these things, and the design is pretty clever with the way it weaves in the logo over the shoulder. I think the gold and silver renderings are probably the coolest. As advertised by the shoulder patch, these things certainly look worthy of the ACC.

West Virginia

The Mountaineers’ uniforms are incredibly well put together, too. I can’t see any reason why people in Morgantown would dislike these. If those helmets are meant to be metallic like I think they are, this uniform has to be one of his best, along with Michigan and Ohio State.

Penn State

Lastly, MDJ created a home and an away uniform for my alma mater. This is fitting, because we have never sported a third jersey. I’m definitely biased to the old jerseys of nothing but color and number, and I must admit I’m still getting used to the fact that we have nameplates on our backs these days. However, I definitely like what was done here, and I think even a predominantly blue and white combo would look tremendous, too. As for the helmet, I’d err toward having a number in lieu of the Nittany Lion logo, because it’s already big enough across the jersey for everyone in Beaver Stadium to see. The jersey itself is awesome, though.

While I’m partial toward retaining traditional uniforms for tradition’s sake, I wouldn’t mind seeing these designs featured as a once a year thing, or as bowl game uniforms. The creativity that they embody is pretty stellar.

Although Mr. Design Junkie is a freelancer for the time being, if he keeps churning out concepts like some of the ones executed to perfection here, he certainly has a chance of landing a gig working for Nike, or another company of the like.

Nice move, MDJ.

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