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56 ILLUSTRATED VOLUME 24, ISSUE 6 f largely the result of an evolving uniform explosion in college football that started more than a decade ago. "I like our uniforms, I do," Richards said. "I kind of wish we could change up some combinations here or there, rather than the standard all the time. Purdue, though, is known for its rich tradition. "But whatever we wear is fine with me, as long as I'm playing during those four quarters. … Really, it's just 'Give me a helmet and pads and we can go.'" Yet, options are nice, and Purdue wishes it had more. The Boilermakers, who wear Nike's Speed Machine unis (the same as those worn by NFL teams), have six jersey-pants combinations, pairing either a black or white top with black, white or gold bottoms. The unveil- ing of the black helmet mid- way through last season, adding to Purdue's tradi- tional gold, gave the Boiler- makers yet another layer of possibilities. But many other programs have gotten a third alter- nate jersey, like the black- top looks of Nike schools Stanford, Florida State and Washington in recent years. At Purdue, trend-savvy coach Darrell Hazell wants to turn the Boilermakers into an "en vogue" team of the Midwest, making the program a bigger draw with potential recruits. Uniforms, he knows, can be an avenue to do so. "Absolutely," the second-year coach said. "Recruits, and even our players, they get excited about wearing something a little bit different. You never want to lose your traditional uniform of who we are, but I think you can always throw (in) a little wrinkle." The Boilermakers will do that this season, as they did last, on their helmets only. It's there that individual programs have more control; after introducing the black helmets for its game vs. Ohio State last season, Purdue will have at least three new headgear looks in 2014 with tweaks to the decals, including its "selfie" picture col- lage on a motion P for the Homecoming game. But Purdue won't — can't, really — mess with the uniforms. Purdue has been a longtime team school partner of Nike, with a contract extended last summer through 2021, but negotiating with the apparel company for a new uniform design, even an alternate, is a challenge. "You can use whatever word you want," said Mike Shandrick, Purdue's equipment manager since 1998, when talking about uniform conversations with Nike. "(And) you'd hit all points of the tree. Yes, a lot of times it is a discussion. Yes, a lot of times it is a battle. Yes, a lot of times it is frustrating. And yes, a lot of times there is hope. "But it's just not Purdue. Maybe it's a group of schools like Purdue — the Iowas, the Iowa States — but our contract overall is very com- petitive. So with that, we should be very competitive with uniforms also." Purdue's contract exten- sion with Nike, executed in July 2013, calls for the com- pany to supply the program with as much as $1.6 million in product for the 2013-14 athletic year, escalating to $1.75 million annually by 2020-21. Plus, yearly base compensation of $350,000. THE KIDS LOVE 'EM Ra'Zahn Howard cares. When he was being recruited a few years ago, he ad- mits that uniforms played a role. Not the biggest role, but a role nonetheless. The nose tackle says he likes to look good on the field, wearing long sleeves and a visor on his helmet to give him a more menacing appearance. And the clothes mat- ter, too. "Coming to Purdue, knowing it's a Big Ten school and we were sponsored by Nike, that was one of my main things," said the sophomore. "We have pretty cool uni- forms. The all white, with the black helmets, that's my favorite. It was one of the things I liked about the school Purdue garnered national attention in June, with its "selfie helmet" idea, one in which fans will get to be part of the Boilermakers' headgear.