Vols show off black alternate uniform for South Carolina game – 247Sports

Vols show off black alternate uniform for South Carolina game – 247Sports
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Tennessee will be wearing a black alternate uniform in Saturday’s game against South Carolina.

Tennessee football’s Twitter account on Wednesday afternoon tweeted a teaser, turning the account to ‘dark mode,’ before showing off the new look itself.

The Vols (3-2, 1-1 SEC), coming off the 62-24 win at Missouri last week, kickoff against the Gamecocks (3-2, 0-2) at Noon Eastern Time Saturday, with the game televised by ESPN2.

A black uniform isn’t exactly new against South Carolina. The Vols wore a black alternate jersey in 2009 under then-head coach Lane Kiffin in a Halloween night win over South Carolina at Neyland Stadium.

Tennessee has mixed up its uniform selections this season, while sticking with the traditional orange and white colors.

The Vols were in all white at Missouri, after wearing white jerseys and orange pants in its 2021 road debut two weeks ago, in the 38-14 loss at No. 11 Florida. Tennessee wore its traditional home look of orange jerseys and white pants in the season-opening 38-6 win over Bowling Green on Sept. 2 and again last week in the 56-0 win over Tennessee Tech.

The uniform on Saturday will include a black jersey with orange numerals and black pants with two orange stripes. The helmet features black outlining of the Power T and helmet stripe, along with a black facemask.

Former coach Jeremy Pruitt discussed the possibility of adding a black alternate uniform for the 2020 season, but the look never materialized on the field.

First-year Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel hinted at getting the Vols back in the alternate uniform business, though, saying during SEC Media Days in July that he would be open to combining the “great iconic logo” at Tennessee with a “new-age approach” while “celebrating the great traditions that are Tennessee football.”

“It’s going to take a lot of different forms,” Heupel said when as asked the “new-age approach” comment. “It’s the way that we communicate inside of our building. Every interaction that we have with players, with staff, with janitors, it doesn’t matter who it is, creating and harnessing energy inside of our building.

“I think that’s a really important thing that we’ve tried to build with our VFLs too is harnessing that energy and creating positive momentum that surrounds our program where our kids feel that every single day.”

Later Heupel talked more specifically about uniform possibilities.

“As we move forward, it may be different opportunities as far as what the uniform looks like when you run out on the field,” Heupel said. “Look good, feel good, play good.

“We want to create a positive player experience from the moment that they step on campus until they’re done but have a long-term relationship with them that lasts forever.”

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Tennessee’s grey alternate uniform first showed up while the Vols were still wearing adidas under Jones in 2013. It changed to the Smokey Grey uniform — an alternate helmet was added, with the Smoky Mountains on a grey shell with an orange Power T and stripe — when the Nike contract began in 2015.

Three weeks ago against Pitt in The Johnny Majors Classic at Neyland Stadium, Tennessee wore orange pants in homage of the legendary formr Vols’ halfback and head coach. Majors debuted the orange pants during the 1977 season, before a November win over Vanderbilt.

“I don’t know how much effect it had on the game,” Majors said after Tennessee’s 42-7 over the Commodores. “We considered doing it earlier in the year, maybe for homecoming. I decided we’d go at Vanderbilt with a wave of orange. I figured this was a good time to experiment.

“The team didn’t know we were going to do it. I guess some of the players were surprised. I heard them in the dressing room, buzzing about it.”

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