On Tuesday, UH unveiled its eight new uniform options for 2014. | Courtesy of UH Athletics
With so many changes for the Cougars’ 2013 season, it’s only fitting that an aesthetic update followed.
After joining the American Athletic Conference, and replacing prominent senior leaders on defense and their leading rusher and possibly the quarterback, the unveiling of eight new uniform options on Tuesday was a relatively small step.
For head coach Tony Levine, the changes that the Cougars will face this season set them up for recruiting success.
“We’ve got a number of recruits for 2014 and this has all played a huge factor. There are major things they look at, whether it’s proximity to home (and) exposure. At the end, the move to the American, the new stadium (and) the new practice fields, it all adds up,” Levine said.
“Social media has changed. When you put out new helmets, new uniforms, new turf practice field, new stadium, new conference; it becomes national news instantly and again, recruits see that.”
The new threads, which were modeled by senior offensive lineman Ty Cloud, sophomore running back Kenneth Farrow, junior linebacker Derrick Mathews and senior defensive back Zachary McMillian, should help the Cougars win one-on-one contests in the trenches because the sleeves are shorter.
McMillian said he was happy that the players were given an input into the new design.
“Our other jerseys featured longer sleeves and made it easier for teams to grab you and hold you. That was the first thing that was brought up when discussing what we wanted as players,” McMillian said.
“We wanted these cutout sleeves. As far as the uniform, I can play in blank uniform if we can go line up with the word ‘Houston’ across our chests.”
The Cougars will have a red and white helmet option for both home and away uniforms. Their red home uniforms feature white letters, while road red jerseys feature the opposite color pattern. Both have breathable mesh side paneling.
“The new look going into a new conference is exciting. We plan to go in and compete with the best of them. We are great team going into a great conference. It’s going to be a great season,” Mathews said.
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