The year is 1996. BYU Football is in its hay day and sits among college football's elite programs. With head coach, LaVell Edwards at the helm, the Cougars deploy an innovative and dangerous air raid offense that lights up opposing defenses on a weekly basis.
In the '96 season, the Cougars enjoyed one of the best years in program history, finishing with a 12-1 record and a Cotton Bowl victory over the #14 Kansas State Wildcats. BYU finished ranked 5th in the nation behind the firepower of players like Steve Sarkisian, Brian McKenzie, Ronnie Jenkins, K.O. Kealaluhi, Kaipo McGuire, and Chad Lewis. This team was loaded--enough said.
throwin' it back to 1996. pic.twitter.com/TNNFo9wpAb
— BYU FOOTBALL (@BYUfootball) July 1, 2024
For the 2024 season, BYU football is turning back the clock and showing off some old threads in a new age. While the team isn't expected to match the success of the 90s, Cougar fans young and old can appreciate the legacy of one of college football's most storied universities this season.
This uniform will look great for BYU's September 21st matchup against Kansas State in a rematch of the '96 Cotton Bowl. In the throwback uniforms, BYU would look right at home next to Kansas State's untouched jersey designs. You may need to remind your grandfather that number 12 at quarterback isn't Sarkisian, who now coaches the Texas Longhorns.
The reception of these uniforms has been overwhelmingly positive online, as this throwback uniform has been requested for years. Here are some of the best responses and reactions to BYU's modern take on a classic look.
BYU announced they will wear these 1996 throwback uniforms against Kansas State this season🔥
— PFF College (@PFF_College) July 1, 2024
(📸: @BYUfootball) pic.twitter.com/PtDws3hvxP
BYU only has perfect unis and I’ll fight anyone who tries to disagree. https://t.co/StDIq7ooSO
— Rob Stod (@rob_stod) July 1, 2024
These are so 🔥!
— Jason Shepherd (@jsnshep) July 1, 2024
The 1996 uniform will always be the @Chadlewis89 uni to me. https://t.co/QdCT39Q0GZ
I’m about to rise and shout so hard.
— Heel Side Sports Podcast (@HeelSideSports) July 1, 2024
Safe to say, the Cougs will be looking their best when the Wildcats come to town. A program with a history of incredible uniforms--and an awkward phase with bibs--is celebrating some of its very best. Cougar fans should be absolutely psyched to relive some of BYU football's glory days. I know I am, and I wasn't even alive to witness them.