2024 Troy Football Uniform Rankings

Since 2020, the Uniform Rankings are one of the posts I most look forward to making. But it is always a difficult task to rank so many great uniforms. The Trojan Equipment staff always does a top-notch job of getting the team outfitted and ready to compete.

Without further ado, here are the 5th annual Troy Football Uniform Rankings.

Honorable Mention: Queen Judy’s Helmet

For anyone who has spent any time around Troy Athletics for the past 30 years, they know that Miss Judy, or Mama Judy to her players, was the central cog that helped make Troy a huge success. With 2024 being the last football season before her retirement, she was honored by leading Trojan Walk.

She was also given special recognition during the game as well. This effectively served as her coronation, elevating her from Mama Judy to Queen Judy.

AD Brent Jones gifted her with a one of a kind crown, a cardinal Troy helmet with decals of her face affixed to both sides. It was a truly special touch to a memorable day for Miss Judy and her family.

We at The Trojan Wall wish you a happy retirement, Miss Judy!

#12) Memphis (3-2 overall, last used [before this game] in 2023)

We at The Trojan Wall have long held that the two greatest uniform combinations possible are white/color/white and color/white/color. Based on this in typical years, the Memphis combo would’ve been much higher, but 2024 was not typical.

First of all, this was the first time since 2022 we used one uniform combo twice in the same season. A truly impressive streak of creativity from Trojan Equipment.

The decal set on this helmet was good, but my issue with it is that in the wrong light, the cardinal comes off as pink. It wouldn’t be bad for an October Cancer Awareness game though.

Having some silver in the Power T to match the pants stripe might have helped this version go up the charts.

As for the other black/white/black combo, you’ll have to wait and see.

#11) Nevada (16-8 overall, last used in 2023)

Cardinal over white is such a good look, but this was is so low for two reasons, one of which is not its fault.

First is due to the fact that this season was stacked with great uniforms. This one falling from seventh last year to 11th should tell you that.

Now to the second reason, two simple details that didn’t work as well. The silver silhouette Power T is a great idea, but on the field, everything washes out and it becomes nearly invisible on the cardinal helmet. Adding the white/silver Power T would’ve been a great move here.

The second detail is the pants striping. Wishing they went all the way down the leg of the pants notwithstanding, I love having all three of Troy’s colors represented on the pants. It helps to unify the helmet, jersey, and pants for each combo.

However, that stripe is the only appearance of black anywhere in this combination. I think solid white pants, like those from the 2009-2016 era, could’ve looked much more cohesive.

#10) FAMU (6-2 overall, last used in 2023)

I can already hear it now. “Why are the throwbacks so low?” While previous versions were ranked as high as fourth or fifth, 2023’s Troy script version came in at tenth. The issue here has nothing to do with the throwback logo, although I do prefer the tri-stripe from the 2018 1968 throwbacks.

My problem with these jerseys is simply that they look too dark. There aren’t enough lighter elements to make the cardinal and black feel cohesive.

I do love the idea, since 2018, of this being our throwback game uniform though. Having a full throwback set for each anniversary team we want to honor would be exceedingly expensive.

Using cardinal/cardinal/black as a canvas to showcase the old logos would be a nice touch and add an air of tradition to throwback games.

#9) Arkansas State (12-18 since 2000, last used in 2023)

While not the best away look Troy has, I always appreciate this one when it shows up. As a helmet guy, I love this because having the all-white uniform allows the helmet to be the focal point.

I haven’t mentioned it previously, but these new white and cardinal jerseys we got in 2023 look great with the inclusion of TV numbers on the shoulders. It gives a much more simplistic and modern look to the jerseys.

These white jerseys also pair well with the white pants since both include black and cardinal accents.

Now for the helmet. I’ll be completely honest with you. When helmets are revealed, one of two things could happen: I hate it in the reveal and it looks good on the field, or the opposite.

This one was the latter.

Under the lights, the silver and white Power T absolutely jumped off the helmets. It just goes to show you (and me too) that it really matters most how the helmets look on the field.

#8) Iowa (18-32 overall, last used in 2023)

In a typical world, this would be in the number two spot. We at The Trojan Wall have been vocal that we believe white/cardinal/white and cardinal/white/cardinal are two of the best looks that Troy could wear.

You might be asking yourself, “Well, why is this at #8 then?”

It’s quite simple really. Cohesion.

The white jersey and cardinal pants work together since they both have accent elements to match. The helmet, while a good-looking one, sticks out like a sore thumb with nothing connecting it to the rest of the uniform.

I think a black or white helmet would’ve served this jersey and pants combo better.

My gripes aside, this was an all-time uniform matchup however. Just look how good our cardinal and white looks against Iowa’s black and yellow.

#7) Coastal Carolina (8-2 overall, last used in 2023)

If you have read The Trojan Wall or followed me on Twitter for any amount of time, you will know that I absolutely love the Troy script and I couldn’t contain my excitement when we finally put it on a helmet in 2022.

That same feeling of elation was brought back when it was revealed that we were putting it on the white shells. This looks absolutely amazing. 10/10, no notes on the helmet.

White/Cardinal/White is still without a doubt the best uniform combination that Troy can use, but I’ll let the 2023 version of me tell you my issue.

There’s too much Troy script.

I know. I’m as shocked as you are.

Troy script on the helmet is great and on the jersey works well too, but too much of a good thing does exist.

I think pairing this with plain white pants would improve it, but I think the bigger change would be to separate the Troy script helmets from the Troy script jerseys, which I have very much grown to like.

Editor’s note: we at the Wall are split on this belief. In Thomas’s opinion, script Troy helmets with script Troy jersey give the cohesion that’s missing from other combos.

#6) ULM (First time ever)

When uniform reveals happen, Thomas and I consult a database we have created with nearly 25 years of uniform combinations. This way, we can find out the last time it was used and the record in that combination.

There are not many times that we are left shocked, like we were with the ULM reveal.

We looked and looked to find out about white/cardinal/cardinal, but couldn’t find anything, so we double-checked, sure that we had used it before.

That was when we realized it was brand spanking new. Never in Troy’s history had they ever donned this combination.

While the game didn’t go like we wanted, the uniform looked great and could really work as a new Military Appreciation Game standard uniform. My only gripe comes from the black on the pants stripe, which feels out of place as the only black accent in the uniform.

#5) Georgia Southern (18-48-1 overall, last used in 2021)

You know the Top 4 have to be really great for this to be #5. The reappearance of the Stormtroopers after three seasons was very welcomed in this part of The Wiregrass.

Trojan Equipment seemingly thought of every detail to make this combination work so perfectly. I talked in the Arkansas State section about how the white jersey and pants are great together because the cardinal and black accents.

Adding a white helmet with cardinal and black decals was chef’s kiss.

I enjoy seeing how many new and fresh looks that Trojan Equipment can come up with, but this exact setup needs to be in the yearly away rotation.

#4) Louisiana black/white/black (3-2 overall, last used in Week 2 vs Memphis)

The lack of cohesion that I talked about in the cardinal/white/cardinal was not on display here. In fact, the issues that found nearly this exact combination last on this list are gone from here as well.

This was simply put the best away uniform Troy had in 2024. All of the four major colors for Troy (cardinal, silver, black, and white) are featured and balanced out over the entire uniform.

The fact the helmet includes a tri-stripe only makes it better. Reusing the same helmet from the Mobile game was a great touch, bringing all the elements together for an all-timer in my book.

#3) Texas State (1-2 overall, last used in 2023)

Maybe it’s because I grew up watching the Atlanta Falcons in the 1990s, but I absolutely love it when Troy goes black/black/black or black/black/silver. It hasn’t happened much since the 1990s in Troy, but it is always one of the best when it happens (#5 last year).

It succeeds in the exact same way that the Louisiana uniforms did, by balancing all the school colors in a great way creating a fresh look. This might have been the #1 spot, if they had used the silver/cardinal/silver tri-stripe on the helmets.

#2) Mobile (Modern record 0-1, last used in 1996)

First of all, we might have lost, but at least our decals matched.

I always appreciate when Trojan Equipment creates a modern uniform that honors a part of Troy’s past. In 1996, Troy began using the all-cardinal jersey/pants combination paired with the black helmet.

The season was definitely a special one that saw the Trojans win the first Southland Conference title, en route to a D-IAA semifinals appearance.

Unfortunately, the playoffs were ended abruptly and definitely did not involve Troy traveling to Montana.

The 1996-97 Palladium has multiple photos of this uniform combination being used, but incorrectly lists the opponent as Jacksonville State. Consulting the schedule and Helmet History reveals the opponent is the December 7 playoff game at home against Murray State.

Adding that the pictures only came from one game, it is hard to tell how many times it was used.

Further complicating the matter is this photo, which appears to be the cardinal jersey, but due to the photo, the pants look either gray or white. If anyone has color photos from the 1996 home stand, please let me know so I can iron this out.

I would love to be able to accurately account for all of the uniforms in the 1990s.

#1) Southern Miss (1-1 overall, last used 2013 ULM)

The all-black uniforms gain the top spot in this year’s ranking for just looking so incredibly good. Reminder, these are the all-black uniforms, because we do not use the B******* word here in Troy.

We have used black jerseys and pants many times before, often with the silver or Smoke helmets. Even in the 1990s, when we finally got black jerseys for the first time, we didn’t have black pants to pair with them.

The only previous appearance of true all-black uniforms was the infamous 2013 Halloween “Blackout” uniforms, a spooky loss to ULM.

By reading this far, you can probably guess why I loved the all-blacks so much. Everything worked in unison and cohesively. Cardinal and white accents are integrated perfectly to almost pop off the black base of the uniform.

I have loved this jersey since we introduced it in 2022 and I think it might be the best black jersey so far.

As much as I like the black jersey, the black helmet with the cardinal/silver decals (including the tri-stripe) is definitely in contention for not just the best helmet in 2023, but possibly one of the better lids Troy had ever used. The pants just became the cherry on top of this amazing combination.

While I don’t want B******* games specifically, I would love to see this exact set end up in the seasonal rotation.

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That will do it for the 2024 Uniform Rankings. Trojan Equipment continues to impress year after year.

I am constantly amazed at the new decal combinations they can come up with. I’m even more impressed with their ability to find new uniform combinations that have either been rarely used or never used before. I am eagerly awaiting what they come up with next season.

As always, let me know what you think in the comments here or on Twitter, @BenOnSports.