Nick Saban scoffs at Oregon's uniform combination

Alabama head coach Nick Saban on Tuesday threw shade at Oregon when asked about their popular Nike uniforms, as the team is well known for introducing dozens of alternate jerseys, uniform combinations and accessories every season.

“We have two [uniforms],” Saban said in response to Oregon. “Red jerseys at home. White jerseys away. Our main concern around here is who is wearing them.”

Alabama has just two uniforms, with no alternate jerseys or special combinations — their jerseys have an old-school aura, and the simple look has been a staple of their on-field look for decades.

The Crimson Tide’s helmet — colored crimson with a white stripe, white numbering and a grey facemask — has been in rotation and used with relative consistency since it was introduced in 1971, much unlike Oregon. Their white pants with two thin, crimson stripes extending down each leg was initially rolled out in 1958, shortly before the arrival of Joe Namath. Alabama’s jerseys have been about the same for about 40 years, with the last change being the addition of player names on the back in 1981.

Oregon, on the other hand, located in Eugene just around five minutes from Nike’s headquarters, signed an 11-year, $88 million apparel deal in 2017. As part of that deal, the Ducks routinely trot out new uniforms with unique features. Some of the most well-known combinations include a lime green jersey, fit with a matching-colored helmet, pants, socks and cleats; an “Ohana” alternate with a dark green uniform combination, along with neon green lettering; a black breast cancer awareness uniform, with pink accessories and pink lettering; a similar breast cancer awareness uniform, but with a pink helmet and many more.

The Oregon Ducks released their 2021 uniforms in early August. The latest edition has some minor changes from uniforms of seasons’ past: the wings on the helmet look slightly different, the signature “O” has been moved to the bottom center of the jersey’s collar, the Fighting Duck logo was placed on the back of the jersey’s collar and the Nike logo was added to the left side of the uniform’s front.

To begin the season, Oregon released three combinations: one all-green home uniform, fit with yellow lettering; a more classic away look with a white jersey and green accessories as well as one alternate that’s colored neon yellow from top to bottom, including the helmet, jersey, pants and cleats.

Stay tuned… #GoDucks pic.twitter.com/K9sBS8KiGG

— GoDucks (@GoDucks) August 3, 2021

Typically, Oregon utilizes more than just three uniform combinations over the duration of the season, so it may not be finished releasing jerseys.