Rutgers will have a completely new look this football season thanks to Nike's Pro Combat System of Dress technology, with the school unveiling three different uniforms — home, road and all-black for special occasions — during a press conference in the SNY studios in New York today.

The new uniforms pay tribute to Rutgers' long-time identity as the Scarlet Knights, as well as the block `R' popularized during the Greg Schiano era.

The helmets are brushed chrome — a shiny silver look — with the word "Knights" on the back and the block Scarlet "R" on the sides.

The pants feature a sword look and the jerseys have slashes on the shoulder pads and there are "scars" throughout the uniform, as well as metallic accents. All three sets of uniforms feature the Knight theme of chivalry, history and family. As Nike's latest product they also deliver superior lightweight performance and optimal protection.

"The best thing about working with Nike was this is just not a uniform," said Rutgers athletic director Tim Pernetti. "Nike did a great job helping us tell a story. In telling a story we wanted to do a bunch of things. We wanted to honor our mascot, the Knight. We wanted to illustrate what the mascot is. We went as far as to implement battle `scars' on these uniforms.

"So this is something that's completely different, completely unique and it also incorporates Nike's Pro Combat Technology, which is just state of the art and awesome."

Wide receiver Mark Harrison modeled the all-white road uniforms, defensive tackle Scott Vallone wore the all-scarlet home uniforms and linebacker Khaseem Greene donned the all-black look, which will be used for a "blackout game" against Connecticut on Oct. 6.

The uniforms will be included in a new deal Rutgers is expected to sign with Nike, which means the apparel company would pick up the cost.

"It's definitely exciting," Vallone said. "The first thing is they feel great. You're able to move in these. You can breathe well. The second thing is the distinct look.

"I think a lot of people are going to watch our games, and as we're playing well and winning a lot of games they're going to remember us because of the uniforms and because of the play and it's going to be a great combination."



Nike's Pro Combat style was also tailored to Rutgers by featuring added inset ribbing around the shoulders that are made to look like iron plates. The technology also provides abrasion-resistant screen print that the school says, allows for even less "give" and fewer grab points.



"The important thing for us was having a totally unique look," Pernetti said. "The most important thing is we've built a heck of a lot of equity in this thing (the block R). The most important thing was to incoroprate this in a way that also matches to a complete unique design, which it is, whether it was the numbers that were Knight-inspired, the sword on the pants, the leg with the bloodlines."

Rutgers coach Kyle Flood, who picked up on the design theme when Schiano left for the NFL, says the new uniforms will make Rutgers "look like the class of college football."