Ranking the 2017 Hokies Uniform Combos

January 2018

Virginia Tech has joined the college football ranks as a program that wears quite a few different uniforms during a single season. In 2017, the Hokies fielded TEN different uniform combinations. That's one more than the nine worn in 2016.

That said, there were some pretty traditional and sharp looks that we saw in 2017. Here's a simple ranking of every one. No formulas, no charts. Instead it's based on tradition and school colors. The 2017 uniform style takes a backseat next season when a redesign takes place.


1. Maroon - Maroon - Maroon

The perfect look for Virginia Tech. Worn at the West Virginia and Clemson games, this uniform signifies a big game. Solid maroon embodies unity across the board and is always a fan favorite. The helmet stripes and shoulder stripes just pop like no other uniform. Two games are just right for this combination – Just to keep it special.


2. Maroon - White - Orange

This look is the iconic Frank Beamer homage. Worn in the 1993 Independence Bowl and once again in Beamer's final game of the 2015 Independence Bowl, it was brought back against Boston College. This is a really special look. It'd be kind of cool to have Coach Beamer pick one game per season to have this make an appearance.


3. White Stone - Hokiestone - White

The Battle at Bristol Hokiestone jerseys made an encore performance in 2017 against Delaware. When Tech wore them in 2016, it was a bit of a shock to see them in person, but the stone embodies the connection between students, alumni and the campus itself. It was a step in the right direction to incorporate stone into the uniforms.

There was debate on whether or not to bring the stone uniform version back for one more game in 2017. However, the recruits migrate to these, so a reverse version with the jerseys paired with white came up. Good choice.


4. Maroon - White - Maroon

Worn three times during the season against ECU, UVA and OK State, this has become the traditional road uniform over the past few years. A direct contrast to the standard maroon jersey with white pants, it just feels like this was worn more than three times. Expect this look to be seen even more in 2018.


5. White - Orange - White

No jersey rocked the boat in 2017 quite like the solid orange one worn against North Carolina. Immediately fans noticed the lack of shoulder stripes and thought this was a look at 2018's design. However, this was a one-game design paired with the 125th year of VT Football patch. With the white helmet with orange VT, this one stood out for Orange Effect.


6. Maroon - Maroon - White

Hard to believe the traditional Virginia Tech home uniform was only worn once in 2017. On top of that, they didn't actually wear the look at HOME! Worn at Georgia Tech, it lost a little luster. It's got to return home in 2018.


7. White - White - White

Worn to directly combat the solid black Miami uniforms, solid white really does look sharp. However, it's now becoming a standard look for many programs around the country. Everyone has the "stormtrooper" get-up today. A maroon helmet would have felt more traditional.


8. Stars & Stripes - White - White

The Stars & Stripes helmet returned for the first time since 2014 and it looked sharp for the ODU game. Paired with the white on white uniform combo, the white helmet with the American flag design stood out. It'd be interesting to see what other helmet colors Tech could do in the future with the USA design.


9. Orange - Maroon - White

Orange helmets have a different feeling since they've been introduced to the collection over the past decade. The metallic base with orange coating looks sharp when it's not battling the large orange collar. Worn only once against Duke, the fistfight of the mismatching orange colors has this one on the bottom of the list.


10. White - Maroon - White

The Belk Bowl look was worn against Pitt at home. Something just doesn't feel right about a white helmet being worn with the dark maroon jersey. The contrast is a bit much and doesn't flow. Hopefully it does not return in 2018.

What was your favorite uniform look this season? Hit me up on Twitter - @Hokie20. Looking forward to the release of the 2018 uniforms. They are sure to be unique.