Every year, I think about things that I would love to do if I had carte blanche to run Troy’s uniforms on the gridiron. Those of you who know me know I have a ton of ideas bouncing around my head.

Editor’s Note: These are the expressed opinions of—

Me, Ben Whitehead. These are my ideas.

These are ideas that I have thought long and hard about and would love to see implemented.

Some are small changes or additions. Some are more sweeping in scope.

I also acknowledge that some of these ideas might be expensive, but remember, this is only the wishful thinking of one person who doesn’t drive a Ferrari. Essentially meaning that I don’t have large sums of money and am good at wishful thinking.

Honorable Mention – Alabama State Flag Decals

In a truly rare moment, I am going to compliment something that Jacksonville State used to do well. Most teams include the American flag on their helmet, but very few add in the state flag.

I know there is only so much space on the back of the lid, but I feel like it would be a great way to acknowledge the school’s state pride.

2025 Specific Wishlist

2025 Retro Logo Bonanza

If you somehow haven’t heard, the 2025 season marks the 25th season of FBS football for Troy. Over that quarter century, Troy has changed, molded, adapted, and perfected its branding.

I can think of no better way to celebrate the 25th Anniversary that to wear a different major decal for each Troy home game.

Game #1 would feature the beloved TSU Marvin logo on a black shell.

Game #2 would bring back the Shield logo for the first time since 2014.

Game #3 would showcase the Power T.

Game #4 would allow use the block Troy wordmark.

Game #5 would be the Troy script.

Game #6 would actually allow for two different types of lids. First would be any version of the Military Appreciation Stars & Stripes logos. If the MA decals are used, it would be done earlier in the season than Game #6.

Second would be an extremely deep cut. A blank black shell with a black facemask, as used against Marshall in 2004, shortly before the reveal of the Shield helmets.

There aren’t many better ways to celebrate this era in Troy’s history than to trot out all of these decals (or lack of decals) again.

2001 Throwback Jerseys

This is probably definitely my most costly idea on this list. I know that jersey sets are very expensive, so I get this won’t happen.

However, the idea persists. When Troy made its debut on the FBS scene (then I-A), the uniforms were far simpler than the uniforms of 2025. Troy only had two sets: home and away.

Home uniforms featured the black helmet with the TSU Marvin logo on both sides, a cardinal jersey with white numbers on the shoulders and the Marvin logos on the sleeves, and silver pants with cardinal and black stripes. Troy wore white socks and black shoes.

Away featured the same helmet, a white jersey with TROY STATE written above the number (both in cardinal), as well as TV numbers and Marvins on the sleeves, and the same shoes, socks, and pants.

2025 and Beyond Wishlist

Return of the Tri-Stripe

From 1968-71, 1973-75, and 1983-92, Troy used a white/black/white stripe on the helmets. From 1988-92, most pictures show the white switched to silver. It was one of the few consistent elements of the Troy helmet during this time, even as logos were switched out, sometimes year to year.

They made a return in 2018, first with the 1968 throwbacks, then with the Power T.

In 2019, Trojan Equipment updated it to reflect the logos for the other helmet colors too.

The only disappointment of 2019 was switching the black on the cardinal helmet for chrome.

It was used a little in 2020, but has been used very sparingly since then, with only a few appearances in 2022-24.

This formed a great connection with Troy’s past and I would love to see it used much more.

Return of the Chrome Domes

Since the reintroduction of the black helmets in 2022, Troy has only had three helmet color options to work with. Quite simply, we need four. Bringing back the Chrome Domes will give us a helmet in every school color, in addition to white as the accent color.

I would be happy with the return of the silver lids as well, but the Chrome Domes operate on a different level. Just don’t bring back the Trojan Smokes.

Editor’s Note: Again, Ben’s expressed opinions.

Never Use Mismatched Logos

South Alabama has shown the entire world how little of an identity you can have whilst using mismatched decals.

Troy tried this once before in 2020, but I am sure you’d agree that we should probably leave 2020 in 2020.

I personally don’t mind if Troy wore numbers on both sides of a white helmet like it did from 1962-65. I also wouldn’t mind trying a jumbo Power T again. They just don’t need to be on the same helmet.

One Old Logo Per Season

Editor’s Note: this goes against the very first idea.

I know, I know, but it falls into the “Beyond” category.

Troy has so many great logos that haven’t seen the light of day since they were worn and I feel like that’s a crying shame. The Bubble Troy logo was one that got me into Troy’s history in the first place.

Troy Athletics does a great job of honoring the National Championships and the Marvin logo, but there are so many more that deserve some love and recognition.

Although, we do need to get the 1968 decal on a cardinal shell again.

T-Roy on a Helmet

South Alabama, Western Kentucky, Louisville, even Michigan State have all featured their mascot on a helmet.

T-Roy has been a 40 year institution of Troy Athletics and it is a shame he’s never adorned a Trojan lid.

I would be satisfied with simply getting T-Roy’s face on the helmet, similar to how South did with Southpaw.

We could even bring back Bearded T-Roy for a Homecoming or anniversary game.

Michigan State fans would be mad with us (again), but Troy could definitely use this T-Roy carrying a flag. As for the flag itself—it could be the Troy script (as seen in the T-Roy’s Kids Club graphics) or an American flag like Michigan State or Georgia Southern for Military Appreciation games.

Simply put, he needs to be in the decal rotation, at least once a year or every other year.

Athletic-Specific T-Roys

Speaking of T-Roy, something I have seen other schools do is create a version of their mascot which can fit into any sport.

Troy has done that, to an extent. I would just like to see it used more often.

Baseball has already adapted the initial Hannah Keiser design and is wearing it on gear during the 2025 season.

These would be extremely fun and another layer to T-Roy as a mascot. I personally couldn’t wait to see a version of T-Roy dropping back to throw a pass or hit a softball.

The Red Wave on a Helmet

A few years ago while perusing through old Palladiums, I came across the Red Wave logo.

I mentioned it briefly in my article on the history of T-Roy, but outside of a few Twitter posts, I haven’t talked extensively about my biggest dream for this logo.

I want to see this thing on a helmet. It’s a crying shame that Troy never used it from 1968-1972. Granted, the interlocked TS won a National Championship, so it had a bit of clout.

The Red Wave logo is just so fun. It is clearly inspired by Tulane’s Angry Wave, but it is just different enough to stand on its own.

The Red Wave would be best showcased on a white helmet. A white facemask would be great, but a cardinal one might just set the whole helmet into another stratosphere.

If you wanted to take it a step further, Troy could wear an even larger version of the logo—the Big Wave.

Editor’s Note: it goes against Troy’s brand identity.

Yes, Troy is still working past the shield era, but come on—it would just be so cool.

Editor’s Note: it would.

Thank you.

The Block T

While Troy has used block letters multiple times, it has never used a block T, similar to Tennessee. In fact, Trojans have only used the T alone on helmets twice—the Power Ts since 2015 and 1976-78 with Oval Ts.

Using the block T would create a modern fauxback to a time when Troy could’ve used that logo. I would not simply rip off Tennessee’s T, instead just updating the 1968 logo to remove the S.

This version could harken back to our past, while still maintaining a grip on the present.

Names on Jerseys Only for Bowl Games

Now this one is probably going to be the most controversial part of this list. I know that players and their families love to see their name on the jerseys.

I even appreciate it for those early season games before I have fully learned names and numbers of starters and backups.

But when I was at Troy, names were a special treat for the bowl game. If you played hard and got a spot, you earned the right to have your name on the back of the jersey.

I get that this one will not be for everyone.

Editor’s Note: It’s not.

Okay, fine.

There was just something special about knowing the players fought and clawed for the name on the front of the jersey all season to earn the opportunity to wear their name on the back for that final game.

Maybe I’m waxing nostalgic about it, but it was always fun to see those big white letters as the team came onto the field for the bowl.

Let me know in the comments or on Twitter (@BenOnSports) what you think of the list and what your uniform wishlist would be. Bonus points if you can photoshop it yourself or even if you use EA Sports’ Team Builder like me.