How much do college football uniforms cost?

Whether you are investing in a recently founded football team or trying to save on sporting goods costs, it’s always a good idea to research the prices of mandatory gear and equipment! For those looking into buying football uniforms, or for those just curious, how much do college-level football uniforms cost? After doing extensive research, here are the cost breakdowns of average college football uniform costs!

More expensive, professional college football teams will use uniforms that cost anywhere between $80 to $120 for each player. This means a college-level team may pay around $7,200 to $10,800 to outfit per team. Even higher-end sublimated uniforms could cost between $160 to $200 per player.

What makes football college uniforms more expensive or more affordable? What are the equipment pieces and elements that need to be purchased in order to create a football uniform? Let’s go over what to look for and think about when considering the cost breakdown of college-level football teams and the cost of their uniforms! (Reference)

Cost of Complete Uniform

For smaller college teams, the cost of uniforms is more manageable. This is because there are fewer players that need to be outfitted, with football rosters averaging around 45 players, and their more modest uniforms typically cost about $80 to $120 per player.

However, more well-known or accomplished football teams, especially in the college or NFL leagues, will have to pay much more for their uniforms.

For instance, the Nebraska college team has to pay an average of about $1,000 per player since they have to outfit and equip them fully.

While a more humble or lesser-known team may pay $7,200 to $10,800 for their whole team in a year, others must spend around $105,000 annually.

This is often because college league teams may have to outfit as many as 100 players in total! (reference)

Other surveyors on public chat forums have come to the conclusion that NFL football uniforms would cost around $2,000.

Although this seems extremely expensive, partially because it is, this cost is because NFL-level uniforms are more intricate, need to be bought in higher quantities due to the large NFL teams, and are likely going to be made out of more durable, high-quality materials than college football team uniforms.

All these factors mean that NFL uniforms will likely consistently cost more than informal or less popular college team uniforms.

Cost of A Helmet

It is virtually impossible to price out an NFL-level uniform for football.

This is because professional teams get specific deals and sponsorship discounts from brands like Riddell, Under Armour, and Nike, so guessing what the discounted price will be is nearly impossible if you don’t know the details in the sponsorship contracts.

Additionally, NFL-level uniforms are usually directly supplied by sponsorships with sports equipment companies, so this professional-grade equipment may not even be available for purchase by the public.

That being said, most high-end college football helmets cost anywhere from $350 to $800 per helmet.

These numbers are drawn from college school averages from universities like the University of Nebraska, Mississippi State, and Baylor University. For some of these helmet prices, sticker decals are included too!

College-level helmets are often more expensive than others thanks to custom designs, decals, or cushioning on the interior. Football helmets with only basic features will likely cost around $55 to $60.

Cost of Mouth Guards

Mouthguards are sometimes an optional piece of gear in football, but many players opt to use them. They can cost as little as $16 to as much as $50 per mouthguard.

There are even fancier online sources and websites like Battle Sports that sell heavily personalized mouthguards.

Sometimes, if enough players choose not to wear a mouthguard, like some players in the NFL, the cost of mouthguards could decrease drastically.

Cost of Jerseys and Shorts

According to the uniform cost expectations for the Clemson University team, most college jerseys cost around $160 per jersey.

Football pants will cost around $115 for less well-known teams. Some shirts and jerseys need to be altered or specially made for certain football positions, which are more expensive than traditional jerseys. Some of these include quarterback-specific gear.

Quarterback shirts often cost around $150.

Cost of Football Pads

There is an array of pads that football players will wear for protection while playing. Most players are outfitted with shoulder pads, hip pads, knee pads, and jock pads.

Most shoulder pads will cost anywhere from $400 to $580 for college-level players, and around $180 to $580 for the general public. (reference)

On average, hip pads cost around $20 to $50, thigh pads will cost around $16 to $40, and knee pads cost around $10 for the public. Professional-grade college knee pads cost more.

Cost of Cleats and Socks

Surprisingly, most professional and college-level football players have multiple pairs of cleats to wear to practice and play official games in!

Oftentimes, football players have practice cleats, game-day cleats, travel tennis shoes or sneakers, shower shoes to use while traveling and staying in hotels, and many, many pairs of socks to wear with all of them!

That’s a lot of shoes to consider in the college leagues.

Cleats are often around $127 to $300 per pair, pairs of socks are around $9 to $16, and practice tennis shoes are around $90 to $200 depending on the brand.

At the cheapest end of the spectrum, the total cost for new shoes, cleats, socks, and upkeep may cost around $300 to $400!

Cost of Under Garments and Jockstraps

The prices for under gear and jockstraps in football can vary greatly depending on the quality and brand of the gear that is bought.

Thigh guards cost around $35, padded jocks are about $35 as well, offensive line padded girdles are $120 a piece, padded girdles are less at $90, and a girdle is around $30.

College football players need to be geared up and protected to withstand all the tackles and punishments they go through during games!

Cost of Accessories and Add Ons

Surprisingly, football as a sport includes lots of accessories. Gloves can cost anywhere from $55 to $70 per pair, visors cost about $50, skull wraps cost $18, and arm sleeves start at $25.

Additionally, players often wear elbow sleeves, recovery gear such as compression tights, and bad weather gear for heavy rainfall or snow days.

They also have to have practice gear, which usually includes sweatpants, a hoodie or two, practice jerseys, sweatbands for the wrists or head, and even travel wear to wear to and from college-level games!

Football Gear and Uniform Over a Year

After reviewing each piece of required football gear, it’s no wonder why complete uniforms will run up the bill quickly! College-grade uniforms will also always carry higher price tags.

Watch the video below to understand why prices for professional football uniforms can rise quickly!