Reviewing Nebraska's New Uniforms

Dave Feit breaks down what changed, what could have been improved, and why the new uniforms are receiving mixed reviews

The new look: Shades of 2002 — or even 1968? | Nebraska Athletics

Nebraska will have new football uniforms for the 2026 season. The updated looks - to be used as the primary home and away uniforms - were unveiled at the Red Sea Rising / Battle of the Boneyard 7-on-7 event.

As a proud traditionalist, my initial reaction to new uniforms is always the same: If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Now, I'll be the first to point out that Nebraska has changed their uniforms many times throughout their history - including several in the modern era that began with Bob Devaney in 1962. The uniforms Nebraska wore in 1970 are different from 1975, which are different from 1978, which are different from 1988, and so on.

Heck, if we want to go down a rabbit hole of obsessive uniform minutiae*, I'd wager eagle-eyed fans could identify at least one tweak or adjustment per year going back to the start of NU's partnership with Adidas in 1995, if not longer.

*Let's put a pin in that for another day…

But with the exception of the 2002 wide stripe disasters, the core of Nebraska's look has largely been the same since 1990:

• Helmet: White, with a red sans-serif N, single red stripe, and red facemask.
• Jersey: At home, red with white numerals in athletic block. TV numbers (either on the shoulders or sleeves) with two white stripes wherever the sleeve ends. A patch near the player's heart that says "Nebraska Football. A Winning Tradition". On the road, the red and white are reversed.
• Pants: White pants at home, usually with two red stripes on both sides. Red pants away from home.

Dozens of things - including fabrics, tailoring, sleeve length, shoe color, and ancillary patches - have changed. But the foundation has been the same for a long time.

If you asked a 10-year-old to draw Nebraska's football uniform - today or 35 years ago - this is what they would draw. That is the definition of iconic.

It is one of the classic, enduring looks in college football… if not all sports.

There were some things I would have liked to tweak (such as the current blocky serif font for the player names). But overall, Nebraska's look was in no way broken.

And yet, Nebraska and/or Adidas felt differently. So, let's dive in and look at what is changing, what is gone, and what is staying the same:

What is staying the same?

The Cornhuskers will still wear red jerseys with white pants at home and white jerseys over red pants on the road. Nebraska's iconic helmet appears to be unchanged.*

*It is worth noting that a Nebraska helmet with "NU" decals and a grey face mask appears twice in the release video.

While I think the overall look of the new uniforms drew influence from the 1968 and 1969 uniforms (when Nebraska wore the "NU" helmet), I wouldn't read too much into this. The release video also showed elements from numerous other Husker jerseys of the past 50+ years.

Logo patches for Adidas and the Big Ten Conference will still appear on the chest of the jersey.

The uniform pants will still have a smaller "N" below the waistline on the player's right side. Nebraska's primary uniform has had an "N" on their pants every year since 1998.

From the videos I've seen of the unveiling, the same block serif font will still be used for the players' names on the back of the jerseys. That is a missed opportunity for an upgrade.

What has been added / changed?

The most notable change is the number font used on the jersey (and the TV numbers by the shoulders). Since 1968, Nebraska has used a classic athletic block font for their numbers. That has been replaced with a more curved font that is more elongated. The new digits look very similar to those worn by the Los Angeles Rams since 2020.

The new font might be my favorite part of these uniforms. It is easy to read, and the sans-serif digits add consistency to the sans serif N on the helmet. If only the font of the nameplate were from the same family.

That said, I reserve the right to change my mind after I see what every number looks like when rendered in this font. In the release images, the number 26 looks nice. On the stage, the number 44 looks atrocious. 

The other big change are the two thick stripes over each shoulder. I'd love to know why these are not the same width as the stripe on the helmet or pants. But I guess we should be thankful that Adidas fought the urge to add a third stripe.

The new look of the stripes on the pant legs. | Nebraska Athletics

I can't decide if the stripes on the pants - or whatever is left of them - should be here or in the "What is gone?" section. Instead of stripes running the full length of the pants, the new version is cut off (at an angle) near the middle of the thigh pad.*

*Or where it would be if football players in 2026 still wore thigh pads.

This ugly, truncated stripe is a wonderful nod to the ugly uniforms Nebraska wore in 2002 with a single stripe wider than the Platte River. 

What is gone?

Most notably, the "Nebraska Football. A Winning Tradition" patch is absent from the new uniforms. The original Winning Tradition patch debuted in 1990. A second version - with the words in grey and script Huskers over the N - was worn from 1991 - 1998. The most recent - and best-known - edition of the Winning Tradition patch was worn for 330 of the last 340 games (it was absent from most alternates, throwbacks, and 2025's blackout uniforms).

Gone in 2026 is the "Winning Tradition" patch. | Osborne Family Enterprises

Compared to most fans, I'm not that sad to see the Winning Tradition patch go. I'll miss it being the only thing on the entire uniform that actually says "Nebraska."

But I mostly associate that patch with all of the ups and downs the program has gone through since Tom Osborne retired. Since then, Nebraska's tradition of winning started to fade into the rear-view mirror. NU's record wearing the final Winning Tradition patch was 193-137 (.585). Since the start of the 2015 season, it is a paltry 61-76 (.445). 

If that wasn't depressing enough, we'll close with this: Twitter user @EnterPromoCode points out that removing the Winning Tradition patch frees up valuable real estate for an advertising patch - which is now allowed in college football.

There's just enough plausibility in that theory for me to wonder if we'll see the logo of one of NU's corporate partners in 2027. The optics of trading "a winning tradition" for a quick buck would be absolutely horrible… and yet very fitting for this new era of college football.

Overall impressions

Nebraska's new game day uniforms look like an AI prompt asking for NU's practice jerseys (with three stripes on the shoulders) to be mixed with the new uniforms unveiled by the Los Angeles Rams.

If I could improve one thing I'd ask for some consistency in the striping. The shoulder stripes are way too much and the pants are way too little. Split the difference and you might be onto something.

But this look feels destined to join 2002 in a future "what were they thinking?" article.

Nebraska's new road uniform for 2026. | Nebraska Athletics

I'm open to having a conversation on if Nebraska was long overdue for a jersey refresh - especially since I can name four distinct iterations of Husker football uniforms between 1970 and 1984.

That said, I don't see many of the other football "blue blood" programs making big changes to their brand identity.

Beyond the Nebraska helmet, there is no visual clue that this is a Husker football uniform. Swap out the conference and Adidas patches and you could convince me it belongs to one of a dozen different teams whose colors are red and white. Rutgers, NC State, Wisconsin, Utah, and so on.

Maybe trying to escape the insurmountable shadow of the program's expectations - based on successes from a previous century - is the point of this rebrand.

And yet, if I squint hard enough, I can see how these uniforms are intended to be a modern take on what Nebraska debuted in 1968. Fans familiar with the history of the program will note that 1968 was another unspectacular 6-4 campaign that caused Bob Devaney's seat to get a little hot. Fans were turning on the gregarious coach because he had more quips than quality wins.

Sound familiar?

* * *

At the end of the day, uniforms don't impact how a team plays. Aside from Nebraska's 1999 season,* they never impact wins and losses.

*1999 is a slippery slope down the rabbit hole of uniform minutiae.

Once upon a time, people tried to argue that fancy uniforms played a role in the recruitment of talented players. But in the NIL era, it is foolish to believe uniforms have any meaningful impact in the recruiting process.

The reason that so many people care about uniforms - the reason I'm still typing and you're still reading - is because they provide a visual and visceral connection to the teams and places we care so deeply about.

We all know the old Jerry Seinfeld bit about "cheering for laundry." The current transfer portal world where every player a free agent every year only reenforces his theory.

It used to be that buying a #15 Husker jersey was a safe investment. Beyond the legendary Tommie Frazier, there was a parade of minor stars and promising players to wear that number, including the guy who wore 15 in 2024 and 2025. Yeah, Dylan Raiola didn't work out. But there's always a next guy who would be wearing a jersey that looks a lot like the one you bought. You could continue wearing it as long as the synthetic fibers - or your significant other - allowed.

But now, a #15 jersey - even without Raiola's name on it - is a relic to a bygone time. Replaced by an anonymous, soulless shirt that we'll have to learn to love.

Or - if NU goes 7-7 this year - be allowed to hate.

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