Ranking Utah's hand-painted helmets: No. 3 2021's U.S.S. Salt Lake City

A ranking of Utah's five hand-painted helmets from 2016 to present.

With still a little more than three months until Utah football kicks off against Florida to begin the 2022 season, its never a bad thing to discuss something other than recruiting, schemes, players progress and what the depth chart may look like come September. In light of the sneak peak Utah fans were given of the 2022 hand-painted helmet, we decided to rank all of Utah's previous hand-painted helmets back to the 2016 season.

Approximately halfway through spring camp, Ute fans were given a taste of the 2022 hand-painted helmets. A breathtaking work of art and a beautiful tribute, the helmets will honor Ty Jordan and Aaron Lowe. While these helmets remain in a league of their own, we'll rank all the helmets that came before.

While the 2017 hand-painted helmets were an easy choice for No. 5, I almost felt guilty ranking 2018's Red-Tailed Hawk Feather at No. 4, but the 2021 U.S.S. Salt Lake City's detail and beauty made it impossible to rank any lower than No. 3. Now, before I explain why this helmet didn't crack the top two, it's important to note that their artistic execution, symbolism, and pure beauty might be the most impressive of the bunch. 

When you see these helmets up close and notice the elite detail that went into them, it is quite breathtaking. Military tributes should continue to remain a part of college football, and next to the actual military academies, Utah may have done it best with these beauties. With the U.S.S. Salt Lake City painted on each helmet with blasting cannons on the open sea, it is certainly something to behold. Additionally, the symbolism behind the 11 battle stars the ship earned and the 11 players on the field, each outfitted with a single star on their jersey is also a stroke of genius.

Now, with all that being said, it's really hard to rank these above the remaining two when they don't have a ounce of red on them or any representation of the school's logos (except for the pants). Many fans were even concerned with the Utes choice to wear these on national television against Oregon, as it was hard to identify the program and from far away, the detail lost nearly all of its flash. Simply put, the U.S.S. Salt Lake City comes in third due to its lack of school colors and representation. 

Overall, this helmet was beautifully crafted and it belongs amongst the top helmets that the program has ever produced, but amongst elite company, it comes in third.

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