No alternate or one-off uniforms here. This is a series discussing the worst standard uniform changes in modern college football. 

The Lead Up

It’s late January in 2012 and Greg Schiano is leaving Rutgers after an impressive 11 seasons that saw him build the program from the basement into a frisky Big East team winning at least 8 games in 5 out of his final 6 seasons. At Rutgers! Schiano took the Tampa Bay Buccaneers job and only lasted 2 disastrous seasons before crawling back to the college game–and eventually returning to be head coach at Rutgers one day.

Back then, Rutgers’ uniforms were simple but identifiable. White pants, red uniforms, red helmets, and white lettering outlined in black. When you picture Rutgers football surely this is the image you have in your mind.

When Schiano left, the program turned to offensive line coach Kyle Flood as the new head coach. He made it 3.5 seasons with the team before being fired (along with the AD) after lots of rules were broken. We’re not here to rehash that, instead in Flood’s first season Nike gave the program an infamous makeover.

The Result

Three entirely new uniforms were created, including black jersey and pants. Each uniform used metallic numbers and trim throughout while the Nike branding incorporated “battle scar” accents and a beveled sword pant stripe for the program’s Scarlet Knights nickname.

They tried something very different.

Completing the transformation was a new silver chrome helmet with 3 different variations–mostly red, mostly black, and a combination of red and black. The uniforms were a bold departure but the change in helmets really ushered in a wild new era for Rutgers football.

There was even a “designed abrasion” finish to the chrome to simulate a knight’s armor. The inside of the numbers even featured a slightly textured chain mail look, although it was virtually impossible to see unless you were a foot away from a jersey.

The Reaction

When Notre Dame met Rutgers in the infamous 2013 Pinstripe Bowl inside Yankee Stadium this was the uniform set the Scarlet Knights wore that day. With the Irish as the home team, Rutgers wore their all-white uniforms, by far their most acceptable of the new look. I won’t waste time on the black uniform since that’s not a standard look for the program.

The red uniform was turbo-bad, though.

They looked like something a middle schooler would design, and the silver numbers against the red were incredibly difficult to read. I didn’t hate the chrome helmets but over time they were bound to look dated. Trying for such a complex “painted” look on a helmet is nice for a alternate once and a while then gets worn out very quickly.