College Football Uniform Watch: Grading Notre Dame's New Unis

Notre Dame is entering today’s game with new uniforms for the second time this season. The Fighting Irish donned “throwback”-style uniforms against Michigan earlier this year for the first night game in Michigan Stadium.

Notre Dame is labeling this uniform set the “Shamrock Series.” It will be a change of pace uniform that the Irish use in the future for the “Shamrock Series” games. The uniform changes and future series details were listed here by und.com.

Notre Dame is one of the most tradition-filled teams in the country and some see the changes as a strike against the tradition-rich program. At times, a little change doesn’t hurt as these uniforms appear to be pretty sharp. Adidas and Notre Dame have come together for a good compilation for tonight’s game.

Some changes have been experienced before, like the throwback green jersey top, but others like the gloves and helmets will be a new change. Here are the changes and the grades for the new look of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

Jersey

Notre Dame will don the green jersey top with gold letters that were worn against Army in Yankee Stadium in 2010. The recent green jersey success has been limited for the Irish, but they did find success last season, winning the game 27-3 against Army.

Green tops are not anything new for the Irish as they have worn the color previously throughout their history. Most recently, the memories have not been so great in green as the Irish carry a losing record since they have shifted to the occasional use of the green jersey.

The Irish are 1-5 in their last six games donning the green tops. Hopefully for the Irish the win column begins to shift for the better if these are in the plans for the future. Outside of the bad luck they seem to bring, the green jersey is a good change on rare occasions.

Grade: B

Helmet

Notre Dame will wear their third different helmet combination for the season today against Maryland. The helmet will feature the large shamrock that was worn against Michigan earlier this year.

There will be two new features appearing on this games lid. The paint for the helmet will be laced in 24-carat gold and has a brushed metal look to the finish. Notre Dame traditionally has gold mixed in with the helmet paint, but this style of polish is a first.

To add one more twist, there will be a leprechaun decal on the back of the helmet. One would assume it to be the traditional boxing variety.

All being considered, these helmets have taken a beating over the message boards and comments sections of various websites announcing the move this week. I actually like the brushed metal look and think the Irish have hit a home run with the new gold domes.

Grade: A

Gloves

Notre Dame used designed gloves for the game against Michigan earlier this season that featured the boxing leprechaun when the two hands were brought together. The design on the palm has become the craze it seems in the past few years for numerous teams.

The new set of gloves listed for the “Shamrock Series” games will have gold palms and a shamrock logo that appears when the hands are brought together. It doesn’t appear to be anything too over the top or extremely unique.

Nonetheless, it will be a fun addition for the players and fans. After all, these uniform changes are for the current players, but more importantly to draw the attention of recruits.

Grade: B

Cleats

The white cleats were first worn this season by Notre Dame in the “Under the Lights” game against Michigan. Nothing is rumored to be changed with the cleats, but it is worth touching on the subject just the same.

The white cleat is a good look that adds to the uniform. It isn’t overly flashy and touches with just enough green. The avoidance of gold here is a positive.

Grade: B

Final Verdict

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish have scattered some tradition with new age looks this season. It has brought some criticism from the Notre Dame traditionalists while others have liked the moves. Today’s game against Maryland will launch the official change of pace uniform for Notre Dame’s future.

Notre Dame has partnered with Adidas to make the new changes and for all intents and purposes the changes look to be a win for the Irish. Notre Dame hasn’t been overly productive on the field or on the recruiting trail recently so these changes should be looked upon as a positive.

Now if the Irish can break the curse of the green jersey, the fans will likely follow the administration and buy into the changes. Until the Irish win in the green consistently, however, these unis can’t be rated better than “B”.

Overall Grade: B