The new, Jordan Brand uniforms displayed by the Michigan Wolverines have been a huge hit to this point, but as the 2016 campaign approaches, cold water has been poured on the notion that Jim Harbaugh's team will be donning "alternate" looks this season.
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Nick Baumgardner of MLive.com brings word from Michigan Athletic Director Warde Manuel that the team will be focused on wearing the now-unveiled Jumpman uniforms in 2016, though he did leave the door open for the future in 2017 and beyond.
"I would leave that up to Jim and how he wants to handle that himself or with the team. I may be a part of the conversation, but I'm not going to dictate to my coach that for a certain game, you have to wear a certain uniform."
In addition to deferring to Harbaugh in the decision making process, Manuel also eluded to a working partnership with Nike in terms of future alternates.
"We'll look at what (Nike) brings to the table and maybe some ideas that we may have about that, but, for this year, we really like the look that they created for the team."
The recruiting game can often pivot based on looks like this, and the Jordan partnership has already been significant for the Wolverines in that area. Ultimately, play on the field will be the biggest factor in what Michigan's national profile looks like, but Harbaugh and his staff can take solace in the bump they've already received with the new look and the potential for positive changes down the line.
