In December 2017, Adidas unveiled its first new football uniform template since 2015, the Primeknit A1 template. Gone is the obnoxious primeknit pattern; it has been replaced by a more subtle diagonal line pattern that should look much better on the field.  In addition, the seam across the shoulder has been eliminated; the only major seam on the jersey outlines the shoulder cap.

It'll be interesting to see if State switches to the updated template for the 2018 season; they were one of the first teams to switch to the Primeknit template in 2015, so it would make sense if they do. The Bulldogs' uniforms are very solid as is, but a template upgrade would provide a good opportunity to iron out some small imperfections. For example, the numbers on the maroon jersey still have a black outline. Also, the pants logo location on the gray pants could stand to be brought in line with the location on the white and maroon pants. For a more detailed list of changes that could be made in 2018, check out the 2017 season recap.

As far as alternates, I think State should choose either a gray or black alternate that fits in line with the rest of the uniform set. If we have to do black, I wouldn't mind seeing a matte black helmet replace the silver helmet. There are several different routes they could take here.

This concept shows what the Bulldogs' 2017 football uniform design would look like on the Nike Vapor Untouchable Template, with an updated Interlocking MSU logo on the helmet.

It was inspired by a Tweet by Bulldog Defensive Back Jamal Peters, which read "Can we go to Nike now? ?" in response to Head Coach Dan Mullen's departure. The answer to Peters's question is "no"; Mississippi State's contract with Adidas runs through 2020 and is not dependent on the head coach. However, the question got people talking, so I decided to make this concept as a "What-if" visualization. 

Much of the news in the sports uniform world in August 2017 has revolved around Nike taking over the NBA's uniforms. Controversially, Nike did away with "home" and "away" designations, instead opting for four uniform designations ( and a fifth, "classic" for 8 teams in 2018): "association", "icon", "athlete", and "community". This got me thinking: what if Mississippi State basketball did something similar. Of course, State is currently signed with Adidas, and that doesn't look to be changing any time soon. That doesn't matter in the world of concepts though!

The association, icon, and athlete editions all feature a classic "State" on the chest, with base colors white, maroon, and gray respectively. The community edition is a black jersey, with a cursive "Starkvegas" on the front. The "classic" edition is a cream jersey with a cursive "State" on the front.

​Other than the "Starkvegas" jersey, I actually wouldn't mind seeing Adidas versions of the other four on the court sometime in the near future.

My latest concept is something I'm calling the baseball uniform Master Plan.  The Master Plan includes 11 different jerseys that can be cycled in and out over the coming years.  I recognize that 11 different jerseys are far too many for a single season, but I think that all of these designs should be worn again at some point.  There's no need, however, to have three maroon jerseys or two white pinstripe jerseys, for example, in a single season.

The Master Plan is split into three sections:  Fundamentals, Diamond Classics, and Script Rotation.  

The Fundamentals all feature the MS logo on the chest and the custom "Starkville" block number font.  All of the Fundamentals have been worn within the last few seasons, and are some of the most recognizable looks for Mississippi State baseball.

The Diamond Classics all feature the classic 1985 font for the numbers and NOB.  The white and maroon diamond classics feature the 1985 wordmark as well, while the cream and anthracite diamond classics feature the MS logo on the chest.  Versions of the white, maroon, and cream Diamond Classics have been worn recently; the anthracite is an original idea,

The Script Rotation uniforms all feature a script font on the front with the "Starkville" number font.  They would rotate one of their above counterparts (White MS Pinstripes, Maroon MS or 85, and Gray Pinstripes) every few years.

The last few seasons, Mississippi State’s football uniform changes have followed a pattern of two steps forward, one step back.  This past season, they added new pants with stripes, a road jersey with no black outlines, and a silver helmet that fit well with rest of set.  However, they kept the maroon jersey with black outlines, got rid of the matte maroon helmet, and wore a head-scratching black jersey with a templated Adidas design- Louisville wore the exact same one.
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What needs changing in 2017:

I. Make the maroon jerseys match the white jerseys.  Remove the black outlines on the numbers and put white-gray-white stripes on the sleeves, matching those on the maroon pants.  Granted, I would have gone with gray-white-gray, but it looks like they’ve settled on w-g-w, presumably to retain two white stripes on the sleeve.
II. Bring back matte maroon helmets. The biggest disappointment of 2016 was the lack of matte maroon helmets.  They were replaced by the silver helmets, which admittedly worked in their own right.  However, the matte maroons were the Bulldogs’ best helmets.  I’d like to keep both the matte maroon and silver helmets, but if one has to go, let it be silver.
III. Make the gray pants match the white and maroon pants.  By far the most minor change needed, the gray pants just need to be updated to match the format of the other two.  Remove the M-State logo from on top of the stripe on the left side and put one on the front left.
IV. Add gray alternates instead of black. State has a silver helmet and gray pants.  A gray jersey, with stripes matching the gray pants, only makes sense.  It would look so much better than the string of black alternates do.  IF they were to go back to a black jersey though, it should match the other jerseys, with white-maroon-white or silver-maroon-silver stripes.  More like the 2015 version than 2016.

Just an idea of what the main six uniforms for Mississippi State baseball should be.  Adding a few more alternates is fine, but these should be the main six and the only six considered to be worn in the postseason.  Mocked up and tweeted out following the ending of the 2016 season.

In a shocking announcement out of Starkville this morning, Mississippi State athletic director Scott Stricklin confirmed that the "M-State" logo will be used across all sports effective immediately.  "It's all about brand consistency" said Stricklin in the press conference, "We want people to know who is playing when they turn on their TV."  As many had feared, the change came at the hands of the Bulldogs' apparel company of 7 years, Adidas.

"I was against the idea at first.  But Adidas really pushed it and eventually convinced me with an extremely persuasive 2003 Microsoft Powerpoint presentation" said Stricklin of the motives behind the change, "It all really makes a lot of sense at Adidas.  The goal is to look at a jersey for any sport and to not be able to tell what sport the jersey is for."  This truly does bring a new meaning to consistency; many saw this coming when Adidas started taking sleeves off of football jerseys and adding them to basketball jerseys.

The sport most affected by this change will be baseball, as the Bulldogs have always used the classic "M over S" logo in that sport.  Starting today however, it too will be replaced by the "M-State" logo.  "I'm expecting a lot of resistance to this change" admitted Stricklin, "But I think that over time, people will begin to appreciate the consistency that this change will bring."

The new baseball uniforms will combine several elements that will make it a hit with those who crave brand consistency.  The pants and shoulders will both be adorned with ribbon stripes, reminiscent of the infamous football uniforms worn from 2012-2014.  "The ribbon stripes, which will also be returning to the football uniforms this year, really give you that satisfaction of brand equality", announced Stricklin.  The hat logo is the same one which was questionably put on the football helmet last year.  An alternate hat has a white front panel; there is also a black hat that goes with a black alternate jersey.

In addition, Stricklin said to expect three or four "innovative" Adidas alternates each year.  Lastly, the interlocking logo will not be going away completely.  It will remain on an altered version of the "classic" cream jerseys, but with a twist.  "Instead of an interlocking "MS", we went with an interlocking "HS", for Hail State" announced Stricklin, "It falls in line perfectly with our modern branding efforts while maintaining some tradition."

All of these changes will take effect immediately, beginning with tonight's game vs Ole Miss.  "This is a huge day in the history of Mississippi State baseball" said Stricklin in his final statement, "Gone are the days of boring tradition."

Happy April Fool's everyone

This concept demonstrated what the Bulldogs' uniforms could look like in 2015 if they removed the black outlines on the jerseys and added stripes to the pants.  It was inspired by the gray pants that were debuted vs. Troy, and also included an all-gray alternate that utilized those pants.

This article elaborates on this concept and the changes that need to be made to the Bulldogs' football uniforms.