The days in which the Tennessee Football team was stuck with a very simple look on the field are long gone. This new Tennessee, in the modern era and under Josh Heupel, is all about the “look good, play good” mantra.
Tennessee has been rolling out several uniform combinations throughout the 2022 season, without repeating a look in back-to-back weeks.
The Vols added in an all-black helmet to match the Dark Mode look and have recently unveiled a new orange helmet as well. This is also the first season that we have seen Tennessee add some blue in as a twist, debuting “Summitt Blue” accessories during the Homecoming game against UT Martin.
“I get excited for the kids when they are excited about it,” Heupel said on Thursday about the new helmet. “Our classic uniform is as good as there is. Love ’em. But I think our players – and recruits – but our players love to put a twist on things. This week, the orange helmets, they wore them a week ago just trying to break them in. When they saw that, there was some excitement from them. I think it’s awesome, you know, these were worn a long time ago, but it’s still a part of our tradition, being able to celebrate that. ”
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Here’s a breakdown of Tennessee’s 2022 uniforms week-by-week:
Week 1: Ball State @ Tennessee (W) – September 1
- Tennessee wins 59-10
- 92,236 spectators
- The first game of the season was on a Thursday night, and the Vols weren’t going to do anything out of the ordinary to open the new season. Excitement was in the Knoxville air as the team ran through the T for the first time during the season, donning the traditional orange-and-white look. The Vols wore white helmets, orange jerseys, and white pants to go along with white accessories.
Week 2: No. 24 Tennessee @ No. 17 Pittsburgh (W) – September 10
- Tennessee wins 34-27 (OT)
- 59,785 spectators
- As the Vols’ first game on the road, Tennessee brought its Stormtrooper uniform combination up to Pittsburgh for the clash with the Panthers. The Vols wore white helmets, white pants, and white jerseys. However, for the starters on the field, those jerseys were anything but clean and white by the end after the overtime nailbiter against Pat Narduzzi’s squad. I don’t know if Stormtrooper is still the name of this combination, but I’m a sucker for Star Wars, so, it is for now.
Pittsburgh HC Pat Narduzzi takes a good long second to give his congratulations to Tennessee QB Hendon Hooker pic.twitter.com/MgCZpHoUBZ
— Rocky Top Insider (@rockytopinsider) September 11, 2022
Week 3: Akron @ No. 15 Tennessee (W) – September 17
- Tennessee wins 63-6
- 101,915 spectators (sold out)
- For the third game of the season, the Vols came out with the all-orange look. Although, spoiler, we now know that in reality, it is more of the “90-percent orange” combination. The Vols donned their white helmets, orange jerseys, and orange pants to take on the Zips in front of their home crowd for the first sellout of the season.
Week 4: No. 20 Florida @ No. 11 Tennessee (W) – September 24
- Tennessee wins 38-33
- 101,915 spectators (sold out)
- College GameDay was in town for the fourth game of the season against the Gators. And with a rival in town, plus Checker Neyland in the stands, the Vols went back to the timeless orange-and-white look against Florida. Tennessee wore white helmets, orange jerseys, and white pants as they corrected the course in their series against the Gators.
Week 6: No. 8 Tennessee @ No. 25 LSU (W) – October 8
- Tennessee wins 40-13
- 102,321 spectators (sold out)
- Tennessee hit the road to take on their rotating SEC West opponent this year with LSU. The Vols marched into Tiger Stadium carrying East Tennessee on their backs as Tennessee wore the Smokey Grey uniforms. The grey helmet has a subtle outline of the mountains, while the grey jersey and grey pants went along to match. The Vols will also be unveiling three new grey combinations over the next three years. Until then, though, Tennessee went with the classic greys against the Tigers.
Week 7: No. 3 Alabama @ No. 6 Tennessee (W) – October 15
- Tennessee wins 52-49
- 101,915 spectators (sold out)
- College GameDay was back in town for the Alabama game. And just like Florida, Tennessee went with the traditional look against their longtime rival. The Vols wore the white helmet, orange jerseys, and white pants while defeating the Tide behind the leg of kicker Chase McGrath and his game-winning field goal.
Week 8: UT Martin @ No. 3 Tennessee (W) – October 22
- Tennessee wins 65-24
- 101,915 spectators (sold out)
- With Homecoming and the anniversary of Title IX on campus for the UT Martin game, the Vols added a new twist to the all-orange combination. Tennessee added in “Summitt Blue” accessories to honor the Lady Vols and basketball icon Pat Summitt. Otherwise, it was white helmets, orange jerseys, and orange pants for the Volunteers.
Week 9: No. 19 Kentucky @ No. 3 Tennessee (W) – October 29
- Tennessee wins 44-6
- 101,915 spectators (sold out)
- DARK MODE RETURNS! WITH A NEW BLACK HELMET! Spooky on Halloween!
— Rocky Top Insider (@rockytopinsider) October 30, 2022
Week 10: No. 1 Tennessee @ No. 3 Georgia (L) – November 5
- Georgia wins 27-13
- 92,746 spectators (sold out)
- The Vols traveled south to Athens to take on the Georgia Bulldogs in the biggest game of the college football season to date. Unfortunately for Tennessee, though, the Vols lost and subsequently ended the perfect season. Tennessee wore white helmets, white jerseys, and orange pants for their road matchup with the Bulldogs.
Overrated chants as Tennessee QB Hendon Hooker and the #Vols headed off the field in Athens last night. pic.twitter.com/cOq8L58708
— Rocky Top Insider (@rockytopinsider) November 6, 2022
Week 11: Missouri @ No. 5 Tennessee (W) – November 12
- Tennessee wins 66-24
- 101,915 spectators (sold out)
- Back to basics for the Volunteers on Senior Day and for the final home game of the 2022 season. The Vols went with the traditional route as the senior players ran through the T wearing white pants, orange jerseys, and white helmets one last time in Neyland.
Week 12: No. 5 Tennessee @ South Carolina (TBD) – November 19
- Announced sellout at 77,559
- And here it is… the BIG surprise of the season. Prior to the South Carolina game this weekend, Tennessee has revealed brand new orange helmets. The slick orange boasts a single white stripe down the middle, a white Power T, and a white facemask. The Vols will be pairing that with their white pants and white jerseys. Come to think of it, this kind of also legitimizes the whole Stormtrooper thing from earlier, considering Stormtroopers didn’t wear colorful helmets in the movies. So, it’s settled. Glad everyone is in agreement.
The debut..
🟠⚪️⚪️#GBO 🍊#DICKSHouseofSportKNX pic.twitter.com/CNPhR5x1dy
— Tennessee Football (@Vol_Football) November 15, 2022
