Texas A&M and adidas unveiled the Aggies’ brand-new, retro-futuristic, ready-for-the SEC football uniforms, with both Texas and the 12th Man accents on the 1970s-inspired (but indubitably modern) gear.  

As David Harris of the Bryan-College Station Eagle reported, “hundreds of curious fans filed into Rudder Theatre Thursday, to see the presentation,” which also featured A&M alums Ryan Tannehill (now with the Miami Dolphins) and his Internet-famous wife Lauren. Wrote Harris:

The jerseys themselves are an ode to the tradition of A&M. Daniels said the stripes down the side were an attempt to channel the 1970s, when Emory Bellard was the head coach. Equipment manager Matt Watson said that, to him, that was the most important part of the redesign.

“I’m A&M Class of 1995. Been around A&M football for the better part of 20 years,” he said. “I’m a traditionalist and sensitive to what A&M means and what we stand for.”

The official color of the new jersey is “anodized maroon” (take that, burnt orange!).

“Creating an outline of Texas when you put the gloves together is completely unnecessary,” wrote Simon Samano of USA Today, who is obviously a crazy person from California or New York. 

As Tully Corcoran of Fox Sports wrote, ADIDAS director of football Mark Daniels promised nothing less than greater on-field success through cooler (literally and figuratively, given their hi-tech fabric) uniforms.

“More first downs, more touchdowns, more wins,” Daniels said.

‘”You’ll catch the ball you wouldn’t have caught,” he added referring to the fabric’s greater stretchiness. 

Michael Taglienti of the Bleacher Report suggested that the new look gives the Aggies a less conservative image, writing that, “Ever since Kevin Sumlin took over as head coach at A&M, he has set about tweaking the program more to his liking. Sumlin is attempting to change the overall brand of Aggie football to a more modern bent.

Under Sumlin, the Aggies play music during practice. It is a small thing, but it has had a positive effect on recruiting. A&M and College Station have always been cast as a conservative stronghold.

When a recruit from an inner city high school visits Aggieland and they are playing rap music during practice, it helps dispel some of the stereotypes. It also conveys an image counter to the conservative stereotype.”

The new gear also got a good review from ESPN business reporter Darren Rovell:

Below, A&M’s video unveiling of the bells and whistles: