The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/873137
OCTOBER 2017 THE WOLVERINE 45 BY BRANDON BROWN J ust a few days before Michigan kicked off the 2017 season against Florida Sept. 2, it was announced that the Wolverines would be sport- ing alternate uniforms. "On Saturday, the University of Michigan football team will take the field in new all-maize Jordan Brand uniforms against the Florida Gators inside AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas," John Manzo of the Jordan Brand said a statement. "The Wol- verines are wearing the uniforms in celebration of the University of Mich- igan Bicentennial and in honor of the 150-year anniversary of the school's official colors, maize and blue." The alternate uniforms appeared to be inevitable as soon as Michigan switched back to Nike more than a year ago. Head coach Jim Harbaugh hinted at the possibility of an alter- nate uniform back then. "When we first signed up with Nike, we said that it would be some- thing we would be interested in, and they were interested in it," Harbaugh said in June. During his first radio session of the 2017 season, Harbaugh again ad- dressed the idea of wearing the all- maize garb. "I'm good with them," Harbaugh said. "Of course, I didn't design them. I'm not a designer. My wife would tell you I don't have good taste anyway." Michigan athletics director Warde Manuel also spoke about the alter- nate uniforms during a short media session leading up to the season opener. He was not actively involved in the decision-making, but seemed to support it and knew people would receive the new look well. "With all the different uniforms that teams wear nowadays, I don't know if there's a traditional standard across the board anymore," Manuel said. "If Jim decides to wear the al- ternate uniform, the team will look great, and they will go out and play well like they do in our more tradi- tional uniforms." Opinions among fans seemed split leading up to kickoff, but Michigan's commitments and recruiting targets loved the tradition-inspired uniform. Their responses follow: Murfreesboro (Tenn.) Siegel 2019 four-star defensive tackle target Jo- seph Anderson: "Michigan's defense line is unstoppable. Every one plays so fast on every play." Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy 2019 four-star running back target Noah Cain: "Those maize jerseys are super nice. I loved their offensive line play — shout out to Coach [Greg] Frey. I also really liked how they let their backs get the ball in the pro-style offense." Cordova (Tenn.) High 2018 four- star offensive tackle target Jerome Carvin: "The uniforms looked great; some of the best uniforms I've seen. I just noticed how Michigan responded coming off back-to-back pick-sixes and how the offensive line played. I felt like they dominated the game." Everett (Mass.) High 2019 four-star safety target Lewis Cine: "I love that Michigan played in those colors." Long Beach (Calif.) Poly 2018 four- star safety target Aashari Crosswell: "The jerseys were dope." Indianapolis Cathedral 2018 four- star offensive guard commitment Emil Ekiyor: "I love the uniforms. I FOOTBALL RECRUITING Season-Opening Win Over Florida And All-Maize Uniforms Resonate In honor of the 200th anniversary of the University of Michigan and the 150th anniversary of the school designating maize and blue as its colors, the Wolverines wore all-maize uniforms in their first game this season. PHOTO VIA TWITTER.COM/UMICHFOOTBALL