College Football Uniforms: Tradition VS. Change

The Tennessee Vols have unveiled a new uniform dubbed "Smokey", which is a play on the mascot, The Smokey Mountains, ETC.

I'm in my 30's and have been a Vol fan my whole life. I grew through my teenage years in the 90's, so I have saw The Big Orange at their highest moments. The Volunteers are able to boast one of the richest football traditions in the nation, and the new uniforms have created quite a debate among fans.

We are the Orange and White and have been for years. There was a period long ago that the Vols wore black uniforms, but Orange 151 is our color.

No offense to the Oregon Ducks, but I'm not sure how much football tradition they actually have, so school colors and uniforms don't carry the meaning and following that traditional football schools have. I'm sure having all new Nike gear and having recent success has helped the Duck's recruiting, but kids don't come to Knoxville for Adidas and Orange, they come for playing time and getting to play in the SEC. We have never recruited on our uniforms on any level, a little or a lot, it's never been used at all.

I like the new uniforms, for one game. I can't see the harm in doing something a little different against a rival like Georgia or even South Carolina. Last time we changed the uniform for a game we won, and wins will be hard to come by this year. So I say go for it, if you win it doesn't matter if the colors are pink and purple.

The Vols are not starting some new tradition or changing the schools colors, they are mixing it up for 1 or 2 games a season. This excites the team and the fans. If there is excitement about it, especially from the team, this translates to more excitement on the field and a small edge during the game.

Don't get me wrong, I am opposed to changing the orange and white colors permanently.  I don't think Coach Jones would ever let that cross his mind. Giving the fans and the players something exciting occasionally is a great thing. People need to calm down and realize that change is inevitable, and this "Smokey" uniform is a whole lot more subtle than many programs have already implemented.

We will need all the help we can get this season, and if this uniform gives us the slightest edge in a home game we can use it. The Orange and White isn't going anywhere, we will always be The Big Orange.

Paying College Athletes.

A huge debate has been going on about whether or not college athletes should be paid for their contributions to the respected university.I had a different view of this until recently I found out that student athletes we not allowed to have jobs during their time at a university.

Sport enthusiasts favoring the idea of paying student-athletes argue that student-athletes should be paid, in light of the huge revenues they have generated for the colleges and universities. They also believe that paying student-athletes would alleviate problems related to illegal payments and point shaving. Paying student-athletes would provide athletes an incentive to stay in school and complete their degree programs, instead of leaving early for the professional leagues.

On the other hand:
Student-athletes already are richly compensated. When athletes accept scholarships, they are provided tuition, books, meals, housing, and sometimes graduate assistantships. At some colleges and universities, such support may reach a value of $200,000 or more over a four-year period. Student-athletes may also receive special treatment when it comes to academic issues, for example priority scheduling, tutoring assistance, and excused absences.

Both are reasonable points, the thing that sways my opinion to allow compensation is the fact that college athletes are putting their bodies on the line for the university. The colleges are getting rich off of young adults who are in the same amount of danger as their professional counterparts. Video games, jerseys, any college products that include players are exploiting them for their own monetary gain.

There is also the subject of importance to the university. The University of Tennessee makes most of its sports money from football and basketball, so if a sweeping student athlete compensation package came, where would that leave women's softball or track and field? There isn't going to be an easy and probably not a fair way to do it. This doesn't change the fact that it needs to be done.

I don't have a solution, and I am glad I'm not tasked with coming up with one. The things college athletes do for their university cannot be ignored. With so many college sports being played, and so much revenue being generated, this issue will not be resolved quickly or easily.

Tennessee Volunteers 2013 Preseason Depth Chart

OFFENSE

Tight End

85   Brendan Downs

Jr.

6-5 // 248 // Bristol, Tenn.

88

Joseph Ayres

6-3 // 254 // R-Sr.

84

Woody Quinn

6-6 // 253 // Jr.

Left Tackle

74   Antonio Richardson

Jr.

6-6 // 327 // Nashville, Tenn.

63

Brett Kendrick

6-6 // 305 // Fr.

Left Guard

78   Alex Bullard

R-Sr.

6-2 // 302 // Franklin, Tenn.

75

Marcus Jackson

6-2 // 307 // Jr.

Center

64   James Stone

Sr.

6-3 // 291 // Nashville, Tenn.

57

Mack Crowder

6-2 // 280 // R-So.

Right Guard

72   Zach Fulton

Sr.

6-5 // 323 // Homewood, Ill.

77

Kyler Kerbyson

6-4 // 306 // R-So.

Right Tackle

70   Ja'Wuan James

Sr.

6-6 // 318 // Suwanee, Ga.

77

Kyler Kerbyson

6-4 // 306 // R-So.

Wide Receiver

83   Cody Blanc

So.

6-3 // 205 // Knoxville, Tenn.

1

Paul Harris

6-4 // 200 // Fr.

Marquez North

6-4 // 215 // Fr.

Wide Receiver

2   Pig Howard

So.

5-8 // 185 // Orlando, Fla.

19

Devrin Young

5-8 // 171 // Jr.

Wide Receiver

18   Jason Croom

R-Fr.

6-5 // 223 // Norcross, Ga.

6

Vincent Dallas

5-11 // 187 // Jr.

Quarterback

14   Justin Worley

Jr.

6-4 // 222 // Rock Hill, S.C.

- OR -

12   Nathan Peterman

R-Fr.

6-2 // 221 // Fruit Cove, Fla.

Running Back

20   Rajion Neal

Sr.

5-11 // 212 // Fayetteville, Ga.

30

Alden Hill

6-2 // 215 // R-Fr.

DEFENSE

Left End

55   Jacques Smith

Sr.

6-2 // 243 // Ooltewah, Tenn.

54

Jordan Williams

6-5 // 260 // Jr.

Defensive Tackle

98   Daniel McCullers

Sr.

6-8 // 351 // Raleigh, N.C.

44

Maurice Couch

6-2 // 304 // R-Sr.

Nose Tackle

97   Daniel Hood

R-Sr.

6-4 // 277 // Knoxville, Tenn.

95

Danny O'Brien

6-2 // 287 // R-Fr.

Defensive End

58   Marlon Walls

R-Sr.

6-2 // 272 // Olive Branch, Miss.

80

Corey Miller

6-3 // 265 // Sr.

Weakside Linebacker

41   Dontavis Sapp

Sr.

6-2 // 227 // Valdosta, Ga.

51

Kenny Bynum

6-1 // 247 // R-Fr.

Middle Linebacker

45   A.J. Johnson

Jr.

6-2 // 243 // Gainesville, Ga.

52

Christian Harris

6-1 // 240 // R-So.

Strongside Linebacker

17   Brent Brewer

Sr.

6-1 // 221 // Tyrone, Ga.

56

Curt Maggitt

6-3 // 239 // Jr.

Cornerback

27   Justin Coleman

Jr.

5-10 // 184 // Brunswick, Ga.

22

Malik Foreman

5-10 // 177 // Fr.

Nickelback

35   Jaron Toney

R-Jr.

5-10 // 184 // Alcoa, Tenn.

26

Geraldo Orta

6-0 // 176 // R-So.

Free Safety

37   Brian Randolph

R-So.

6-0 // 199 // Marietta, Ga.

30

Max Arnold

5-11 // 188 // R-So.

Strong Safety

33   LaDarrell McNeil

So.

6-1 // 199 // Dallas, Texas

3

Byron Moore

6-0 // 208 // R-Sr.

Cornerback

21   Riyahd Jones

Jr.

6-0 // 179 // Columbus, Ga.

23

Cameron Sutton

6-1 // 180 // Fr.

SPECIALISTS

Punter

1   Michael Palardy

Sr.

5-11 // 185 // Coral Springs, Fla.

43

Matt Darr

6-1 // 220 // R-Jr.

Placekicker

1   Michael Palardy

Sr.

5-11 // 185 // Coral Springs, Fla.

5

George Bullock

6-0 // 207 // R-Fr.

Kickoff Specialist

1   Michael Palardy

Sr.

5-11 // 185 // Coral Springs, Fla.

5

George Bullock

6-0 // 207 // R-Fr.

Long Snapper

53   J.R. Carr

R-Sr.

5-10 // 215 // Lomita, Calif.

59

Matt Giampapa

6-0 // 229 // R-So.

Punt Returns

19   Devrin Young

Jr.

5-8 // 171 // Knoxville, Tenn.

2

Pig Howard

5-8 // 185 // So.

Kickoff Returns

19   Devrin Young

Jr.

5-8 // 171 // Knoxville, Tenn.

2

Pig Howard

5-8 // 185 // So.

Holder

3   Tyler Drummer

R-Sr.

6-1 // 169 // Powell, Tenn.

43

Matt Darr

6-1 // 220 // R-Jr.

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