Did USC Football Tease a Uniform Tweak?

The uniform is a big thing when it comes to USC football. There are few color schemes across the nation more iconic than USC’s cardinal and gold. USC is also the only program in history to never put last names on the backs of its jerseys.

Nothing has been announced in terms of changes for the 2022 season. But a social media interaction Thursday afternoon sent up some signals that maybe, just maybe, a slight tweak could be coming this season.

The USC Athletics account tweeted a photo of USC wide receiver Gary Bryant wearing the standard, current USC uniform. It was posted side-by-side with a photoshop of Bryant wearing what would be considered a “throwback” uniform, with different shoulder stripes. The account asked fans which jersey style they preferred.

The USC Football account chimed in, asking if they could pick both, followed by the thinking face emoji.

Can we pick both? 🤔 https://t.co/r7Zk2bft2c

— USC Football (@USC_FB) July 14, 2022

USC’s jerseys haven’t exactly gone unchanged since it first fielded a football team in 1888. You can see the changes to the helmet here. And there was very nearly a black version added as a Nike-produced one-off during the 2011 season.

USC’s cardinal and gold colors have always been called that, but the shades have changed slightly throughout the years. Occasionally there will be a darker cardinal or a brighter gold, which largely goes unmentioned when talking about true uniform changes. The color of USC’s facemask has changed throughout the years as well.

But the jersey stripes on the shoulder are the point of interest in the above tweet. The photo on the left, with the horizontal stripes, was the result of a uniform change in 1972. That was a change from the single crescent (photo on the left), which was worn from 1958-1971.

The notable, lasting changes have come from USC’s iconic coaches. The 1972 switch was ushered in by John McCay. And a 2002 change came from Pete Carroll.

When Carroll took over the Trojans in 2001, he waited one season to put his stamp on the program in terms of the uniform. Heading into the 2002 season, he helped bring back the older look. Starting that year, USC went back to the single stripe/crescent on the shoulder. That change under Carroll also introduced the interlocking SC logo at the bottom of the neckline. And that’s been the overall look since then, with some branding additions here and there.

Former head coaches Lane Kiffin and Steve Sarkisian both attempted to inject some alterations into the USC uniform during their tenure. Much of it was driven by many of the players, who saw the alternate uniforms popping up across college football and wanted in on it. Kiffin’s Trojans wore cardinal and gold cleats. Sarkisian’s Trojans were the first to wear chrome USC helmets. Both had their supporters and detractors (likely more of the latter), but neither stuck.

Lincoln Riley Has Already Made Uniform Tweaks

It wouldn’t be surprising at all to see new head coach Lincoln Riley make a change or two with the uniforms the way Carroll did. Riley already made something of a change this past spring. It wasn’t technically to the uniform. Rather, the uniform process.

Every player came out to the first spring ball without the Trojan logo on the sides of their helmet. That logo, incidentally, was part of John McKay’s 1972 uniform change.

Players needed to earn the logo on their helmets. It was a process Riley and the Trojans called “gold plating.”

There’s obviously no guarantee any uniform changes will be made this season. But coming off of last year’s 4-8 season and with a renewed energy among the fan base and football program, it’s likely a one-off throwback or even a “retro” home uniform would be welcomed by Trojan fans just looking to see a winning team back on the field.