Ranking the Best and Worst Alternate Uniforms in BYU Football History

Casey Lundquist | Jul 3, 2024

Dec 22, 2009; Las Vegas, NV, USA; BYU Cougars quarterback Max Hall (15) throws a pass during the Cougars' 44-20 victory over the Oregon State Beavers in the 2009 Las Vegas Bowl at Sam Boyd Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-USA TODAY Sports / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

On Monday, the BYU football program announced the plans to wear a 1996 throwback uniform to celebrate 100 seasons of BYU football. The all white throwback uniform was actually an alternate uniform that BYU wore only once during the 1996 campaign: in a road loss at Washington. After the game, legendary BYU coach LaVell Edwards vowed to never wear the whiteout uniforms again.

In the spirit of Monday's announcements, we're taking a look back at some of the best and worst alternate uniforms in BYU football history.

First of all, a bit of housekeeping: an alternate uniform will be defined as a uniform that is not in BYU's standard rotation in that season. Uniform variety is different from alternate uniforms (Wearing all royal instead of royal and white does not count, especially when royal and white is worn sparingly that season). Without further ado, shield your eyes because we're starting with the five worst alternate uniforms in BYU football history.

The Five Worst Alternate Uniforms in BYU Football History

5. 2012 Blackout Uniforms

Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune /

Blackout uniforms were all the rage in college football back in 2012. BYU showed a willingness to keep up with the times when they wore a blackout uniform at home against Oregon State. These weren't bad, but they weren't as good as the other alternate uniforms that made the top five.

4. Armed Forces Bowl

Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports / Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

BYU brought out the military-inspired uniforms for the 2011 Armed Forces Bowl. Like the blackout uniforms, this was a good idea and executed well, but it's not as good as the alternate uniforms on the top five list. Riley Nelson's fake spike and touchdown throw to Cody Hoffman will always be remembered.

3. All Navy

Photo by Scott G Winterton Deseret News. /

This uniform isn't terrible, but it's not good enough to warrant a good ranking either. The Cougars brought out the all navy alternate uniforms for a 2010 home game against New Mexico. In that era of BYU football, alternate uniforms were extremely rare.

2. Blackout vs Notre Dame

Credit: Lucas Peltier-USA TODAY Sports / Lucas Peltier-USA TODAY Sports

If you quizzed the average college football fan, they probably wouldn't be able to tell you that this uniform is BYU if they were watching from the stands. The gradient helmet was a unique idea, but this was one of the most viewed games of BYU's season. Going with the classic, recognizable look on the biggest stages is a better way to build a brand. The gradient blackout uniform was not a winner, at least in the opinion of this author.

1. Sailor Coug Blackouts

Mandatory Credit: Ivan Pierre Aguirre-USA TODAY Sports / Ivan Pierre Aguirre-USA TODAY Sports

The Sailor Coug blackout uniform was not good, and it was an easy choice for the worst alternate uniform in BYU football history. BYU unveiled a "Sailor Coug" helmet for the bowl game against SMU in 2022 and paired it with the black uniforms. This uniform ranks last on our list for a few reasons. The first reason was best articulated by CBS college football analyst Barrett Sallee who said "BYU's normal uniforms are money. The uniforms that the Cougars are wearing against SMU...aren't."

BYU’s normal uniforms are money. The uniforms that the Cougars are wearing against SMU … aren’t.

— Barrett Sallee 🇺🇸 (@BarrettSallee) December 18, 2022

BYU's uniforms are great, so any alternate uniform will be graded on a steep curve. In the opinion of this author, this combination just doesn't stack up against BYU's great uniforms, and most importantly it doesn't fit BYU's brand identity. The Sailor Coug logo is a fun logo for gear and flags, but it doesn't belong on the helmet. For one, the stretch "Y" is BYU's brand in an era where a school's brand rules all. Second, the Sailor Coug logo from a distance is indistinguishable, especially on a gradient helmet. It looks cool in a photoshoot or on a wall of memorabilia, but every game on television is a branding opportunity. And this uniform wasn't BYU. This was the first time the Sailor Coug logo found its way onto the helmet, and it should be the last.

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The Five Best Alternate Uniforms in BYU Football History

5. 2022 Painted Helmets vs Arkansas

Credit: Gabriel Mayberry-USA TODAY Sports / Gabriel Mayberry-USA TODAY Sports

For the first time in program history, BYU unveiled a painted helmet against Arkansas in 2022. This was a fun combo, even though the defensive performance was hard to watch.

4. 1996 All White

throwin' it back to 1996. pic.twitter.com/TNNFo9wpAb

— BYU FOOTBALL (@BYUfootball) July 1, 2024

In 1996, alternate uniforms were not common in college football. BYU went with the whiteout on the road at Washington. Even though Lavell Edwards vowed to never wear the all whites again after the loss to the Huskies, this was a good-looking combination. This is the combination that BYU will replicate against Kansas State in 2024.

let's look a little closer. pic.twitter.com/M4TjdqCJgr

— BYU FOOTBALL (@BYUfootball) July 1, 2024

3. Throwback uniforms 2019 vs Washington

Melissa Majchrzak-USA TODAY Sports

Most fans probably remember the throwback uniforms that BYU unveiled against Washington in 2019. In that game, BYU celebrated the 150th season of college football with an old-school combination. Most fans probably don't remember that was the first white uniform with royal accents since the 1990's.

2. 2013 All Royal

Credit: Chris Nicoll-USA TODAY Sports / Chris Nicoll-USA TODAY Sports

BYU briefly wore royal for two games in 2009 (more on that in a moment). Then royal went away again until 2013 when BYU wore an all royal color rush combination against Utah. The royal, in stark contrast against the Utah red, was a great look. It also restored royal in BYU's regular rotation.

1. 2009 Royal Against Utah

Courtesy of Scott G Winterton Deseret News /

BYU football wandered many years in the proverbial uniform wilderness before finally finding their way back home in 2009. To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the 1984 season, BYU secretly brought out the 1984 throwbacks for the rivalry game against Utah. It was the first time BYU had worn royal since the 1990's.

BYU beat Utah in this uniform, then they wore them again for the bowl game against Oregon State. BYU-Oregon State was a top 20 matchup and the Cougars handled the Beavers.