West Virginia University is stepping into the 2024 football season with a fresh, yet familiar look. Mountaineer Nation, get ready to see your team sporting brand new football uniforms that beautifully blend the program’s storied past with cutting-edge innovation from Nike. These new Wvu Football Uniforms are designed not just to look good, but to enhance performance, paying homage to tradition while embracing modern athletic technology.
“When we set out to design these new uniforms, our goal was clear: capture the essence of our rich history and tradition while integrating the latest advancements in uniform technology. We wanted a design that is unmistakably West Virginia,” stated Vice President and Director of Athletics Wren Baker. “I truly believe our design team, equipment staff, and partners at Nike have achieved something special with these uniforms.”
The core of the Mountaineers’ identity remains unchanged, with blue, gold, and white jerseys and pants continuing as the foundation of their weekly uniform options. However, the upgrade to Nike’s Vapor F.U.S.E. uniform chassis signifies a leap forward in player comfort and performance. This advanced design prioritizes zoned breathability, utilizing lightweight stretch fabric, shaped collars, and mobility sleeves to ensure maximum comfort, flexibility, and thermal regulation through moisture-wicking technology.
Beyond the performance enhancements, it’s the aesthetic details of these WVU football uniforms that will resonate deeply with Mountaineer fans, evoking cherished memories from throughout the program’s history.
A significant and immediately recognizable change is the return of the Flying WV logo to the jersey sleeves. This iconic emblem, a symbol deeply intertwined with WVU football, graces the sleeves for the first time since 2012. Dating back to the successful Don Nehlen era, the sleeve logo was a hallmark of Mountaineer uniforms until a design shift in 2013. Now, it proudly reappears on all three jersey variations. Adding another touch of nostalgia, the white jersey sees the return of a gold outline on the blue numbers, a detail also last seen in 2012, further enhancing the classic aesthetic of these WVU football uniforms.
Adding to the visual appeal, all three jersey sets now feature shoulder stripes, a design element that was prominent during a successful six-season period from 2007 to 2012. During this era, the Mountaineers achieved remarkable success, securing two BCS bowl victories, three conference championships, and an impressive 55-23 win-loss record (.705). The jersey fronts also maintain distinct identities: the white jersey displays the “West Virginia” wordmark, while the blue and gold jerseys showcase the powerful “Mountaineers” moniker. Consistent across all jerseys is the state outline, a subtle yet meaningful nod to West Virginia pride, and the state motto, “Montani Semper Liberi,” which is once again placed on the inside collars, a detail appreciated by players and fans alike.
Delving even deeper into WVU’s rich football heritage, the gold pants are making a bold statement with the revival of the “Nehlen” stripes. These distinctive two thick blue stripes, famously introduced by Don Nehlen in his inaugural game as coach against Cincinnati in 1980, were a defining characteristic of his tenure and are now back for the first time since 1993. The “Nehlen Stripes” are synonymous with a golden era of WVU football, during which the team achieved 103 victories and made eight bowl appearances, including prestigious berths in the Fiesta and Sugar Bowls.
In a new twist for 2024, the blue pants will also feature the “Nehlen Stripes” full-time. This design choice creates a visual connection to the “Country Roads” blue pants worn in 2023, while establishing a unique identity for the current uniform set. The white pants complete the trio with a striking blue-gold-blue stripe pattern, reminiscent of the uniforms from the 1960s and 70s, and later revived during the Rich Rodriguez era. This striping on the white pants will particularly evoke memories of two pivotal road victories under Rodriguez – the 2002 triumphs over Virginia Tech and Pitt, games that propelled his program into the national spotlight. As a unifying element across all pant variations, the Flying WV logo is prominently displayed on the upper right front leg panel of each set of WVU football uniforms.
“We intentionally looked back into our program’s history and brought forward some of the most beloved aspects of our uniform tradition, elements that have contributed to the special nature of West Virginia football,” Head Coach Neal Brown commented. “These new WVU football uniforms are a true embodiment of blending tradition with modern technology. With the variety of combinations available to us each week, our players are incredibly excited about this new look. Regardless of the specific jersey and pant combination, the most important thing is that fans will instantly recognize the West Virginia Mountaineers when they take the field.”
WVU’s new uniform collection retains the number and lettering font introduced by Nike during the university’s rebranding initiative in 2019, ensuring a cohesive visual identity. Importantly, all jerseys and pants are designed to be interchangeable, excluding helmets, offering an impressive nine different pant and jersey combinations. When factoring in the helmet options – the classic blue helmet with the gold Flying WV and the white and gold helmet choices – the Mountaineers boast an extensive array of uniform possibilities for game days, ensuring a fresh and dynamic look throughout the 2024 season and beyond, all while proudly representing the WVU football uniforms legacy.
Similar to the popular “Country Roads” uniforms of recent seasons, these new WVU football uniforms were developed through an in-house collaboration between the athletics department and Nike. Key members of the athletics department design team included Kristin Coldsnow, Matt Wells, Michael Fragale, Joe Swan, and Steve Uryasz. This team worked closely with football equipment managers Dan Nehlen and Austin Blake, as well as Head Football Coach Neal Brown and football administrators Patrick Johnston and Coleman Barnes, to finalize the comprehensive design of West Virginia’s exciting new look for the 2024 season.
