The Monster Energy Patch on WVU's Uniform is an Eyesore, Just as Most Feared

So much has changed in college sports over the last half-decade or so, but the one thing that remained untouched, until now, is the uniform.

Recently, we've seen a lot of schools across the country turn back the clock to honor their past with a cleaner, classic look rather than trying to modernize the uniform. West Virginia is among that group.

A few years ago, they combined the two most successful eras of WVU football with the double-striped pants from the Don Nehlen era and the shoulder chips from Rich Rodriguez's first stint, while also ditching the matte helmets for the glossy blue.

Unfortunately, that clean look from head to toe only lasted one season before jersey patches were introduced. Before you think this is me hating on the deal with Antero Resources, let me make clear that it isn't.

I fully understand the importance of securing a jersey patch deal, especially when everyone else is doing it. It's the right fit, and the fact that they allowed WVU to do it in their colorway makes it a million times better. To be honest, it looks great, in my opinion. The logo having mountains in it is the cherry on top.

The Monster Energy Big 12 logo, on the other hand...woof.

A look at all the patches West Virginia will be rocking on their jerseys pic.twitter.com/HmLpQVDS7k
— Jerry West Enthusiast (@Eersfanatic) August 16, 2026

Look, I know each school is getting roughly $1M per year while still being able to secure its own jersey patch deal, but that doesn't mean it's not hard to look at.

Not only is the dang thing so big, but it also has a black background, which just looks wrong on a navy blue jersey. Trust me, we know how bad it looks from those Dana Holgorsen years when they had that odd black design under the armpits. It's not nearly as big as that, so it has that going for it, but still... yikes.

To this day, I still can't wrap my head around how on Earth the Big 12 agreed to a deal where Monster Energy would have jersey patches on every member's uniforms across all teams, as well as a logo on each team's court/field, and all for the low price of $20M per year.

Monster wants to keep their green and black colorway, but man, it would have been so much more aesthetically appealing, if that's even possible, by going with the school's colors, similar to the creations below, even if it wasn't interlocking.

It could’ve all been so simple https://t.co/4tUlIwzNcJ pic.twitter.com/xK1pErsHtr
— Top Tier (@TopTierStateX) August 16, 2026

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