There was excitement in the air when the official USF Football account announced yesterday that three USF greats— linebacker Sam Barrington, quarterback Matt Grothe, and SUPER BOWL CHAMPION B.J. DANIELS would be in attendance at today’s annual Fan Fest to model the new home, away, and alternate Adidas jerseys for everyone in attendance. While Mother Nature brought the lightning, it was Adidas who brought the drip.

USF kicked off their partnership with Adidas on July 1 and just prior to AAC Media Days, we got a glimpse of the home uniforms that will be worn in the opener against Elon on September 1. The social media response was certainly mixed, to say the least.

What had not premiered until today, were the away and alternate versions the Bulls would be flaunting this upcoming season. (I was most eager to see the all-white away uniforms because I’m of the opinion that if a team has an all-white variation of their uniform, it is probably their best uniform. And, if done RIGHT, looking at you and your hideous alligator uniforms UF, I also love a good alternate.)

⬇️ The reaction when you see our alternate jersey for the first time.



We’ll be unveiling them to the public tomorrow at Fan Fest, so come get some autographs and see our new threads! pic.twitter.com/No72hgYCMK — USF Football (@USFFootball) August 10, 2018

The build-up didn’t disappoint. All three jerseys keep with the “South Florida” branding. The away uniform (modeled by SBCBJD) are a clean look that went over well with fans, but the star of the show was definitely the blacked out alternates that Barrington was lucky enough to show off over the next hour.

With the home and away being more traditional, Adidas outdid themselves with the crowd favorite alternates. The numbers and other accents are somewhere between a lime green and highlighter yellow and just look fast. By far the best part of the uniform is the matte black helmets with a green chrome facemask and the large green “Iconic U” adorning each side and matching the facemask.

Patience ... patience...our deal was done a bit later than many others. But let’s focus on enjoying what we have while we simultaneously strive for more — Michael Kelly (@MKellyUSF) August 11, 2018

New Vice President of Athletics Michael Kelly addressed why USF will not have the updated Adidas jerseys this season, and well, the contract wasn’t signed in time by former athletic director Mark Harlan (and others). Expect a huge leap from year one with Adidas to year two.

It’s no secret that flashy uniforms and different combinations excite not only fans, but players too. Senior corner Ronnie Hoggins said the new threads were surprise for them just like the rest of us.

“Just now. Just now, man. It surprised everybody. We were so happy that they waited. The wait was well worth it. They have us going crazy, I’m not going to lie to you,” Hoggins said. “Since we signed the contract with Adidas we’ve been waiting for them to come out forever. Seeing those jerseys come out and the crowd reaction, we were amazed by them.”

While all the players love the new uniforms, senior offensive lineman Eric Mayes has already picked his favorite of the three, and it’s no surprise.

“Easy, my favorite jersey is the black SoFlo,” Mayes said. “The lime green with the black just goes well. You can’t help but like it, it’s lime green! The helmets as well—I know ya’ll saw the matte helmets— the helmets really make it pop out.”

Mayes can’t wait to suit up in the all-black and said that former bulls are jealous of the new threads.

“We kept hearing there was a black jersey and we didn’t get confirmation until yesterday. I’m really happy because it’s my last year. The boys from last year saw them in the group chat and they were wishing they could get in them. I’m glad we could get them my last year.”