MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (April 27, 2024) – History and tradition team up with Nike’s state-of the-art innovation as West Virginia University unveils new football uniforms for the 2024 season.
Mountaineer fans will notice features of the past and winning looks reappearing in the new uniforms, while student-athletes will benefit from today’s modern uniform innovation with precision Nike fit to allow ultimate performance on the field.
“In developing our new uniforms, it was important for us to incorporate our rich history and tradition with modern technology. We also wanted people instantly to recognize that the West Virginia Mountaineers were playing,” Vice President and Director of Athletics Wren Baker said. “I believe our design team and equipment staff along with our partners at Nike did a great job with these uniforms.”
The Mountaineers will once again have blue, gold and white jerseys and pants in their regular weekly uniform repertoire. West Virginia becomes the latest team to sport Nike’s Vapor F.U.S.E. uniform chassis, which focuses on zoned breathability, lightweight stretch fabric, shaped collars and mobility sleeves for comfort and range of motion along with thermal regulation for moisture wicking.
As impressive as the performance-driven uniform template is, it’s the look and features in the new uniforms that will bring back great memories for Mountaineer fans of all ages.
Starting with the jerseys, the Flying WV returns to the sleeves for the first time since 2012. The logo on the sleeves was a staple on Mountaineer uniforms starting in the Don Nehlen era until a uniform change in 2013. The logo will appear on all three jersey sleeves, and the white jersey will see the return of a gold outline on the blue numbers, also for the first time since 2012.
The three jersey sets will sport the return of a shoulder stripe made famous during a six-season span from 2007-2012 in which the Mountaineers won two BCS bowl games, three conference championships and posted a 55-23 record (.705). The white jersey will be led by the West Virginia wordmark on the front while the blue and gold jerseys feature the word Mountaineers. All three jerseys will continue to feature the state outline, and the state motto - Montani Semper Liberi - is once again on the inside collars.
Reaching deeper into Mountaineer history and tradition, the gold pants will feature the return of the “Nehlen Stripes” for the first time since 1993. The two thick blue stripes made their first appearance on WVU gold pants in Don Nehlen’s first game as coach vs. Cincinnati in 1980 and were a staple of his tradition-rich uniforms for the better part of his Hall of Fame Mountaineer tenure. West Virginia won 103 games in the years wearing the “Nehlen Stripes” and made eight bowl appearances, including the Fiesta and Sugar Bowls.
For the first time, the blue pants will debut the addition of the “Nehlen Stripes” full-time in 2024, providing a look similar to the “Country Roads” blue pants worn in 2023. However, the white pants receive the return of the blue-gold-blue striping reminiscent of the 1960s and 70s along with a period during the Rich Rodriguez era. The striping on the white pants will remind fans of two key road victories under Rodriguez that propelled his program into the national spotlight in 2002 at Virginia Tech and Pitt. All three sets of pants will feature the Flying WV logo on the upper right front leg panel.
“We went into the past and brought back some of the best parts of our uniform history that have made this football program so special,” head coach Neal Brown said. “We have truly mixed tradition and modern technology in the new uniforms. We have plenty of combinations to choose from each week and our players are excited for the new look. The key though is no matter the pant or the jersey, fans will know it’s the West Virginia Mountaineers on the football field.”
WVU’s new uniform sets will continue to showcase the number and lettering font designed by Nike for the school’s rebranding effort in 2019. Not including the helmets, all jerseys and pants were designed so that they can be matched and worn together, giving West Virginia nine different pant/jersey combinations. The Mountaineers will retain their classic and fan-favorite blue helmet with a gold Flying WV along with a white and gold helmet choice, giving the team endless combinations for game days when you account for the helmet colors.
As with the “Country Roads” uniforms of 2022 and 2023, West Virginia’s new uniforms were designed in-house by the athletics department with key input from Nike. Members of the athletics department design team were Kristin Coldsnow, Matt Wells, Michael Fragale, Joe Swan and Steve Uryasz. The design team worked in conjunction with football equipment managers Dan Nehlen and Austin Blake, along with football coach Neal Brown and football administrators Patrick Johnston and Coleman Barnes, to finalize West Virginia’s new look for 2024.
Mountaineer fans will notice features of the past and winning looks reappearing in the new uniforms, while student-athletes will benefit from today’s modern uniform innovation with precision Nike fit to allow ultimate performance on the field.
“In developing our new uniforms, it was important for us to incorporate our rich history and tradition with modern technology. We also wanted people instantly to recognize that the West Virginia Mountaineers were playing,” Vice President and Director of Athletics Wren Baker said. “I believe our design team and equipment staff along with our partners at Nike did a great job with these uniforms.”
The Mountaineers will once again have blue, gold and white jerseys and pants in their regular weekly uniform repertoire. West Virginia becomes the latest team to sport Nike’s Vapor F.U.S.E. uniform chassis, which focuses on zoned breathability, lightweight stretch fabric, shaped collars and mobility sleeves for comfort and range of motion along with thermal regulation for moisture wicking.
As impressive as the performance-driven uniform template is, it’s the look and features in the new uniforms that will bring back great memories for Mountaineer fans of all ages.
Starting with the jerseys, the Flying WV returns to the sleeves for the first time since 2012. The logo on the sleeves was a staple on Mountaineer uniforms starting in the Don Nehlen era until a uniform change in 2013. The logo will appear on all three jersey sleeves, and the white jersey will see the return of a gold outline on the blue numbers, also for the first time since 2012.
The three jersey sets will sport the return of a shoulder stripe made famous during a six-season span from 2007-2012 in which the Mountaineers won two BCS bowl games, three conference championships and posted a 55-23 record (.705). The white jersey will be led by the West Virginia wordmark on the front while the blue and gold jerseys feature the word Mountaineers. All three jerseys will continue to feature the state outline, and the state motto - Montani Semper Liberi - is once again on the inside collars.
Reaching deeper into Mountaineer history and tradition, the gold pants will feature the return of the “Nehlen Stripes” for the first time since 1993. The two thick blue stripes made their first appearance on WVU gold pants in Don Nehlen’s first game as coach vs. Cincinnati in 1980 and were a staple of his tradition-rich uniforms for the better part of his Hall of Fame Mountaineer tenure. West Virginia won 103 games in the years wearing the “Nehlen Stripes” and made eight bowl appearances, including the Fiesta and Sugar Bowls.
For the first time, the blue pants will debut the addition of the “Nehlen Stripes” full-time in 2024, providing a look similar to the “Country Roads” blue pants worn in 2023. However, the white pants receive the return of the blue-gold-blue striping reminiscent of the 1960s and 70s along with a period during the Rich Rodriguez era. The striping on the white pants will remind fans of two key road victories under Rodriguez that propelled his program into the national spotlight in 2002 at Virginia Tech and Pitt. All three sets of pants will feature the Flying WV logo on the upper right front leg panel.
“We went into the past and brought back some of the best parts of our uniform history that have made this football program so special,” head coach Neal Brown said. “We have truly mixed tradition and modern technology in the new uniforms. We have plenty of combinations to choose from each week and our players are excited for the new look. The key though is no matter the pant or the jersey, fans will know it’s the West Virginia Mountaineers on the football field.”
WVU’s new uniform sets will continue to showcase the number and lettering font designed by Nike for the school’s rebranding effort in 2019. Not including the helmets, all jerseys and pants were designed so that they can be matched and worn together, giving West Virginia nine different pant/jersey combinations. The Mountaineers will retain their classic and fan-favorite blue helmet with a gold Flying WV along with a white and gold helmet choice, giving the team endless combinations for game days when you account for the helmet colors.
As with the “Country Roads” uniforms of 2022 and 2023, West Virginia’s new uniforms were designed in-house by the athletics department with key input from Nike. Members of the athletics department design team were Kristin Coldsnow, Matt Wells, Michael Fragale, Joe Swan and Steve Uryasz. The design team worked in conjunction with football equipment managers Dan Nehlen and Austin Blake, along with football coach Neal Brown and football administrators Patrick Johnston and Coleman Barnes, to finalize West Virginia’s new look for 2024.
