BYU Football: Grading the 2014 Alternate Uniforms

Well, the cat got out of the bag quickly.

After BYU lineman De'Ondre Wesley leaked photos of potential alternate uniforms for the Cougars, Bronco Mendenhall and the athletic department wasted no time in confirming the news. It was soon announced on several media outlets that the "new" uniforms will include all-white, all-black and all-royal styles.

Although we have seen all of these uniforms in past seasons, it's good to have some variety for this fall. But every uniform has its advantages and drawbacks, so here are complete grades for all three styles.

All of these uniforms follow the traditional BYU design, but don't have enough color diversity. They all have the same color of both pants and tops, and this can lead to too much—or not enough—eye-catching variation.

The white uniforms are plain and simple, and although that can be good, they don't grab attention like a uniform should. On the other hand, the royal jerseys are on the excessive end of color usage and could benefit from white pants.

The black uniforms are sharp, and have a nice all-dark look. But even a little more white trim could make a positive change. In all, the three different uniforms are unique, but could use a few more tweaks.

Grade: C

All three helmets are based on the traditional blue-on-white color scheme with a dual stripe and the "stretch Y" logo. The helmets for the all-white uniforms are the normal helmets—white with navy blue facemasks and designs.

The helmets that come with the royal blue set stray slightly from the ordinary. They still have the traditional stripes and logo, but are royal instead of navy. Also, there is a chrome face mask and a three-dimensional logo.

The black helmets are—by far—the best looking, with royal and white designs on a matte black base. In all, the normal helmets are average, the royals are better and the black ones go above and beyond. 

Grade: A

BYU didn't go too crazy with these uniforms, considering they are all following the traditional design. But as far as colors go, they took the road less traveled.

The Cougars have rarely worn an all-white uniform and called it an "alternate," as white pants on the road aren't out-of-the-ordinary. So there isn't a huge change from tradition with the whites.

On the other hand, the royal blue uniforms, as traditional as they sound, are actually quite unique. They may be considered "throwbacks," as they sport the original BYU blue, but LaVell Edwards' Cougars never wore blue pants at home. There is a definite overdose of royal, and white pants would add freshness—and tradition—to the look.

As far as the black uniforms go, you can draw your own conclusions. Black has never been a color for BYU, and although they have royal blue patterns, they stray far from tradition. That isn't to say they aren't great, they're just unorthodox.

Grade: C

Tom Holmoe and the athletic department had the right idea with these uniforms. BYU plays a weak home schedule this season, so having "special" jerseys is a tactic to fill seats and get fans excited.

Although they were on the right track, they also fell a little bit short. There isn't anything special about the all-whites, and the royals and blacks were worn during the last two seasons. Announcing a new uniform would have put this idea over-the-top and boosted ticket and merchandise sales.

Anyhow, it's good to see more than one alternate this season. Hopefully this can continue in seasons to come.

Grade: B