New Florida Gators black jerseys leaked?
Just 13 months after the Gators were stunned by Arkansas in The Swamp while wearing the first black uniforms in program history, new versions may have been leaked on Saturday.
On December 12, X user MrGentleman_2 spotted retail versions of a new black jersey in the Florida Gators SportShop. Similarly, the 2023 versions were also leaked through the Bookstore prior to the official announcement.
This time, blue numbers replace white numbers and the controversial blue Gators script on the chest is removed. Overall, the look fits much better with the rest of the Gators uniform pieces.
The Gators shelved the black uniforms in 2024 after Head Coach Billy Napier stated that black uniforms would be a “tradition.” While the black uniforms themselves sparked mixed feelings in the fanbase, the fact they weren’t worn in 2024 was met with even praise — and equally disappointment. No official reason was given for why they weren’t worn, however many of the jerseys were auctioned off after the Arkansas game with proceeds going to military families.
No announcement has been made if the Gators will wear these new black jerseys in 2025 or for the bowl game (or if they are real at all). If so, and if it stays true to Napier’s Veterans Day initiative, they could be worn November 22 vs Tennessee — the first home game post-Veterans Day.
A consistent look
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.
This new black jersey would actually align itself with black jerseys from other sports, including baseball’s blue numbers and basketball’s blue numbers. In 2023, the Gators black football jerseys felt like an anomaly. Now, it would feel consistent.
Further, the use of blue numbers on the black jersey creates a distinct, ownable look for the Gators. While many other programs use white numbers, blue numbers stands out and helps put the uniform in the same category as some of the most iconic in college football history, including Ohio State’s uniforms w/ red numbers and Tennessee’s uniforms w/ orange numbers.
Timeline of black uniform news
Black uniform rumors can be traced back to as early as 2015:
- 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
- August 15, 2023: Florida officially reveals the black uniforms
- November 4, 2023: The Gators don black uniforms for the first time in program history in a 39–36 loss to Arkansas
Official announcement coming soon?
In 2023 after the black jerseys leaked, an official announcement from the program came only 12 days later. Could we see the same soon?
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. Same with the 2023 reveal of the black uniforms. We’ll see if these indeed come to fruition.
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