Tennessee is making a striking change to its Smokey Grey look this fall, and it comes right on the helmet. For the first time since the 1963 season, the Vols will take the field with a lid that does not feature the familiar Power T on the sides.
Instead, the new Smokey Grey helmet leans into a leather-style design that nods back to Tennessee’s 1938 championship helmet. The program said Thursday that the look is built around the old-school details of the Vols’ early years, with a cross pattern and stitching pulled from that national title era.
“Evoking the leather helmets worn by the Vols from the program’s inception to 1949, the cross pattern and stitching details are pulled from the 1938 national championship helmet,” Tennessee wrote in a press release on Thursday. “That year the Vols held opponents to a combined 16 points over an 11-game season, including eight shutouts en route to the program’s first national title.
A bold star appears on the back of the helmet, a nod to Neyland’s status as a Brigadier General. Neyland’s signature appears on the back bumper, and a stenciled ‘UT,’ like those worn on Neyland-era practice gear, appears on the front.”
It’s not the first time Tennessee has played around with non-white helmets in recent years. The Vols have already rolled out previous Smokey Grey helmets, along with the Dark Mode helmet, and there was also the all-orange helmet used for one game in the 2022 season.
Even so, this one stands out because it strips away the Power T entirely - something Tennessee Football hasn’t done on a helmet in more than six decades.
The rest of the season’s helmet lineup will stay rooted in the traditional look, with the exception of the all-black Dark Mode helmet. This Smokey Grey version is tied specifically to General Robert Neyland’s legacy and the 100-year anniversary of his first team on Rocky Top.
Tennessee will debut the “Neyland Legacy” Smokey Grey uniforms against Auburn on Saturday, Oct. 3, in Neyland Stadium.
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