Florida Gators black jerseys revealed
After years of rumors and anticipation, Gator nation finally got their first look at one piece of their upcoming black uniforms.
On August 3rd, the UF Bookstore put retail versions of the black jersey on the sale floor, marking our first official look at the jersey.
The jersey features the traditional master stripe on the sleeve but with a blue script “Gators” on the chest and an orange Jordan Brand logo. This marks only the 2nd time in school history featuring a wordmark on the chest.
The jersey is set to be worn with a yet-to-be-revealed helmet and pants against Arkansas on November 4th. The game is designated as the “Saluting Those Who Serve” game and the uniforms will be auctioned off afterward with proceeds going to military families.
Head coach Billy Napier previously told Richard Johnson of Sports Illustrated in 2022 that during the 2023 season “We’re going to wear black uniforms here at the University of Florida” and further clarified during a Gator Club meetup in Pensacola “It will be the next to last home game and it will always be around Veterans Day, that part of the year, for military appreciation.”
While Gators Online confirmed the news that the uniforms would be worn November 4th, Scott Carter of FloridaGators.com also marked the first confirmation of the black uniforms from an official source not named Billy Napier in a now deleted tweet.
The black uniform saga at UF has certainly been one of the most intriguing developments to follow in college football. It really picked up steam when former Head Coach Dan Mullen said during a press conference following a victory over Auburn in 2019 “I’m not against…rolling out a black jersey someday..” completely unprompted.
This ignited Gators fans — good and bad. Many scrambled to purchase knockoff jerseys from DH Gate, concept uniforms spread like wildfire, and speculation began. But traditionalists had their reservations; and rightfully so, after the infamous 2017 Swamp Green uniforms.
Now, the Gators will get another alternate to add to their long history of uniforms.
Black uniforms make sense for the Gators
While many traditional fans have expressed their distaste with the news that the Gators would wear black uniforms, the Florida Gators have a long history of black uniforms in other sports. Nearly every sport at Florida, including major sports such as basketball and baseball, have a black alternate uniform. Not to mention, its deep history in Florida Gators basketball.
Plus, after the Gators strayed away from Orange and Blue football uniforms for the first time in school history in 2017 with their “Swamp Uniforms”, the precedent was set. It’s often noted that the 2017 Swamp Green uniforms are among recruits favorites during campus visits — but its also noted they are one of the most infamous uniforms in college football history. The black uniforms have a chance to rectify the history of Gators alternates.
Timeline of black uniform news
Black uniform rumors can be traced back to as early as 2015 but now fans won’t have to wait but a few more months to see them on the field.
- Summer 2015: Black jersey-shirts appear on Nike.com and rumors swirl of multiple P5 teams getting black uniforms in Fall 205
- Fall 2015: A mysterious helmet tease prior to homecoming in 2015 appears to show a black helmet, but is instead the white helmets
- Spring 2018: Former HC Dan Mullen remarks “We will have a back jersey combination at some point”
- September 30, 2019: Former HC Dan Mullen says unprompted “I’m not against…rolling out a black jersey someday…” but also adding “oh I had to get everyone stirred up on the black jersey.”
- October 9, 2019: The official Florida Gators football equipment twitter account @GatorsEquipment tweets a video prior to the 2019 LSU game apparently teasing black uniforms for the upcoming game in Death Valley. Additionally, 247 Sports writer Thomas Goldkamp tweets “I was told this summer they had black jerseys for this fall.” Sources confirmed to Gators Uniform Tracker the video was fake and no jerseys were on hand, and Gators Equipment would later admit it was a troll.
- September 21, 2020: UF AD Scott Stricklin tells the Gator Nation Football Podcast “we have no black uniforms ordered…I don’t think we have ever had those ordered.”
- November 23, 2020: WR Jacob Copeland states “Florida is wearing all blacks next year” on an Instagram live with Elite College Football
- March 14, 2022: Billy Napier tells Richard Johnson of Sports Illustrated “We’re going to wear black uniforms here at the University of Florida” and that he anticipated they would be ready for the 2023 season
- May 12, 2022: Billy Napier tells the Northwest Florida Gator Club “We will do [black uniforms] in the 2023 season” also mentioning that the uniforms would be worn “next to last home game…around Veterans Day…and we’re going to auction some of them off…to give it to families of people in the military that were wounded or maybe had some type of setback”
- May 25, 2023: Gators release their 2023 home game designation, marking November 4th as the “Saluting Those Who Serve” game and solidifying the game the black jerseys would be worn.
- August 3, 2023: Retail versions of the black jerseys are seen in the UF Bookstore
Commentary: Black jersey is mixed bag, but there is still hope
The reveal of the black uniforms is arguably the biggest uniform news in program history. But do they deliver?
On one hand, the uniform is exactly what fans wanted: a black version of our classic uniforms.
On the other, the addition of the script “Gators” on the chest turns what could have been a home run into a letdown, invoking feelings of a knockoff jersey.
I’m waiting to pass 100% judgement until we see the full on-field uniform, as the addition of the helmet and pants could bring it all together. See our concept below on how it could come together into something solid:
(Also, this is not the first time the UF Bookstore has accidentally revealed special uniforms for the Gators. In 2019, the bookstore put the throwback uniforms for sale well before the official reveal in the Fall. Those turned out to be the exact same as the on-field jerseys, I’m not expecting the real black jerseys to look much different.)
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