I have discussed it on Twitter, but I just wanted to break it out here: There will be no Nike Pro Combat jerseys for Florida in 2011.
The major drawback from this is ... well, I guess recruits won't get to see the Gators wear a weird, non-traditional jersey this year? That's honestly about it, unless you think that Nike choosing other schools in 2011 after giving Florida Pro Combat jerseys in 2009 and 2010 is some sort of snub that indicates Nike has no faith whatsoever in Florida post-Urban Meyer. (Note: I bet I could find a rival fan arguing just that.)
The pluses? Florida keeps getting to wear its very crisp blue-on-white home jerseys and its clean white-on-blue road jerseys, sartorial choices with common sense and tradition behind them. If the Gators need an alternate jersey, the blue-on-blue and white-on-orange outfits still work, as do the gorgeous throwbacks modeled here by Dallas Baker.
And there's also something to be said for not being part of a marketing campaign that continues to blur the lines between young men playing football and young men going to war.
But, generally, this is about trading a little sizzle for a lot of sense: Younger fans may not love not having futuristic togs on the players they're cheering on, but older fans, the ones that pack The Swamp, tend to really dislike anything that isn't established. In the long run, keeping that moneyed majority happy is a decent idea.