2021 Troy Football Uniform Ranking

While the 2021 season might not have had all the success that Troy would have wanted, it was a banner year for the Trojan Equipment staff. They managed to pull off some great traditional looks, a few we haven’t seen in a while, and some brand new combinations as well. (And that’s not even getting into how amazing the Uniform Reveal videos were each week!)

Overall, this was a more difficult ranking to make than last year’s because I didn’t dislike any of these uniform combinations. While some might have worked better than others, they were a pretty solid set of threads. But since this is a ranking, some are at the top, and some have to be at the bottom.

#12 vs Georgia State (1-1 all time in this combo, not used in 2020)

In the season finale, Troy came out wearing the split Power T/number decals from the previous week against App State on a white helmet with a white jersey and black pants combo. This particular combination has only been worn once before when Troy visited Coastal Carolina in 2017. For those that remember, Marcus Jones made us enjoy this particular away set. Maybe it was the intense blue of Georgia State or the cardinal being limited to the names and numbers, but this combination of colors dropped low on my list because it felt almost washed out. I think some cardinal in the decals or facemask might have helped this one a tad.

#11 vs Texas State (1-2 overall, #10 ranked uniform in 2020)

This combination improved on the lack of color in the Georgia State combination. The cardinal decals and facemask provided a nice through line of color with the numbers and the pants, which popped very well against the maroon and gold of Texas State. I’ve been a huge fan of the white helmets ever since we brought them back in 2016. (Troy wore white helmets for a few years back in the 1940s.)

This combination has only seen the field two times before this. Both were unfortunately losses: 2020 vs MTSU in Troy and 2016 vs Georgia Southern.

#10 vs Coastal Carolina (2-4 overall, #2 in 2020)

Stormtroopers. Iced Out. Winter Warriors. Whatever you want to call them, all white uniforms always look great. The fact that Coastal went all black meant that we were destined for a great matchup.

If you needed any indication of how good the uniforms in 2021 were, this combination came in at #2 last year. While this is practically the same uniform as last year’s Stormtroopers, this one didn’t work as well for me with the cardinal facemask, as opposed to the chrome one from last year.

#9 vs ULM (0-2 overall, #11 in 2020)

I don’t tend to put much stock in superstitions when it comes to uniform combinations because as anyone who follows Uniform Twitter, “Uniforms don’t win games.” However, this combination has only been worn twice: this year vs ULM and last year against BYU. Both were tough losses to swallow for different reasons. BYU was a beatdown and ULM was a, well, a loss to ULM, an unfortunate consequence by any margin.

That being said, I am a sucker for similar colored helmets and pants with white away jerseys. While I would be a bigger fan if this if we had a black helmet, the look is overall an effective one.

#8 vs That School in Mobile (1-4 overall, first use ever)

Troy has worn black uniforms (whether a Blackout or just as normal uniforms) five times since 2013. That 2013 game featured a black helmet and the 2015, 2016, and 2019 games all used the Chrome Domes. The 2021 Battle for the Belt featured the first time that Troy came out wearing the Trojan Smoke with the all black uniforms.

While I typically like to have the cardinal on full display in a rivalry game, the black was a nice change of pace in the rivalry which showed South that we are better at gameday fashion than them too.

#7 vs South Carolina (1-3 overall, not used in 2020)

While this wasn’t a brand new combination, it was significant because it was the first time in six games against the South Carolina P5 schools that we wore cardinal helmets, white jerseys, and black pants. In every game, except 2005 vs South Carolina (which was cardinal helmets, white jerseys, and the old TSU silver pants), the Trojans have primarily worn the cardinal helmets and pants with the white jerseys.

This year, however, they went into the Palmetto State with black pants in a really great look. I generally don’t like uniforms that seem to be discordant, but these look really great. I love that it is one of the few combinations where all of the colors we use get to be on display. Since black pants became a part of the Trojan Equipment repertoire in 2013, Troy has worn this combination 3 times before, starting with the ULM game in 2014. Its last appearance was in 2019 vs Texas State.

#6 vs App State (1-1 overall, not used in 2020)

The white helmet, black jersey, and white pants combo earned its way into the top echelon of Troy uniforms when it came back into the rotation this season. The only time this combination has ever been used was back in 2016 in that year’s matchup with New Mexico State. I really like this uniform set because it gives me an idea of what a modern version of Troy’s late 90s black jersey, silver pants combination would look like.

#5 vs Southern (4-2 overall, #4 in 2020)

The cardinal helmet and jersey and black pants was first brought out against Texas State in 2013 and used again in 2014 vs Duke. They were shelved for four years until the 1968 fauxbacks in 2018 and the 1984 fauxbacks in 2019, as well as last season’s EKU game.

Very similarly to the uniforms used against South Carolina, this set showcases all of Troy’s colors in a very unique way. Southern wearing white/yellow/white gave us a great color vs color matchup to open up the season.

#4 vs Louisiana (21-9 overall, #7 in 2020)

Since the 2004 rebrand and especially around 2006 as Troy began getting a completely new uniform set, the all cardinal look has been seen a lot over the years. But in this case, familiarity does not breed contempt. I love this look so very much. The fact that it was the Homecoming set was the icing on the cardinal cake.

The first appearance of the all cardinal was in 2004 vs MTSU. They made an appearance every year from 2004 to 2014, except for 2005 and 2009. They then went into hiding until they were brought out for the 2020 finale vs Coastal Carolina.

Trojan Equipment did not do the full Cardinal Out like 2020 (complete with cardinal decals and facemasks) this year, opting instead for silver chrome on those instead. Whatever the look, the all Cardinal is always a solid choice.

#3 vs Southern Miss (17-30 overall, #3 in 2020)

Like the all Cardinals, this combo has been used almost every year since 2004, only missing usage in 2005. The win-loss record for this uniform isn’t spectacular, but I just don’t care. It’s a fantastic look and if you told me it was our default away uniforms from now on, I wouldn’t be mad.

Southern Miss choosing to go white/gold/white helped this set shine even more. It allowed Troy’s Cardinal and USM’s gold to really become the focal point of a very good looking matchup.

This is probably my most consistent uniform combination in my rankings so far as it came in at #3 last year as well.

#2 vs Liberty (6-2 overall, #1 in 2020)

In my estimation, white/cardinal/white is the best possible uniform combination that Troy could wear. Like with the cardinal/white/cardinal set, if you told me we could only use this at home, I wouldn’t be upset. This combination was used back in the 40s, 50s, and 60s, but I don’t have win-loss records for those years yet. With the return of white helmets in 2016, these uniforms have gone 6-2, including wins in the 2016 and 2018 Dollar General Bowls.

Having the Military Appreciation Game against Liberty seemed about as perfect a matchup as you could ask for. Red, white, and blue stripes were all over the field and the Stars and Stripes Power T looked as good as ever. Maybe Trojan Equipment will shake things up and put the Stars and Stripes Troy script on the Military Appreciation helmets soon.

#1 vs Georgia Southern (1-0 overall, first use ever)

There was ever only going to be one combination that could dethrone the White, Cardinal and White. The return of the TSU logo to Troy helmet after 18 seasons was a very welcome sight. The Smoke/Black/White look is by far my favorite combination. This should be our default for using black jerseys because everything works perfectly. The colors are balanced well between black and white with just enough cardinal to accent it nicely.

Trojan Equipment surely made a lot of 90s and early 2000s alumni proud by breaking out the beloved Marvin the Martian logo. The logo hasn’t been used in general since the 2004 rebrand to Troy University. The last time it was on field for the Trojans was the final game of the 2003 season vs ULM. While the Power T is a great modern logo and a natural progression from the shield logo, it is nice to get a chance for some nostalgia every once in a while, like this game and the 2018/2019 TSU fauxbacks.

Overall Records

The rankings above were for the combinations as a whole, but I also wanted to see how each component of the uniform fared throughout the season.

Helmets: Smoke – 2-1, Cardinal – 2-2, White – 1-4

Jerseys: Black – 2-1, Cardinal – 1-2, White – 2-4

Pants: Black – 2-3, Cardinal – 2-1, White 1-3

Theoretically, if Troy played all their games in their best components (Smoke helmets, Black jerseys, and Cardinal pants), the team would’ve gone 8-4 based on the win percentage of that grouping’s 6-3 record.

There isn’t enough that can be said about the amount of work that Trojan Equipment go into from the designing, planning, and organizing all that goes into what Troy wears on the gridiron each fall. I personally can’t wait to see what they come up with next season.

As always, if there is a question, concern or comment, you can leave one below or reach out to me on Twitter @BenOnSports.