UCF unveils new jerseys and helmet

As promised, UCF unveiled their three new Nike football jerseys at Tuesday's "Hometown Huddle" fan event.

The surprise of the evening came immediately afterward when head coach George O'Leary announced they'd also be adding an alternate black and gold helmet into the mix.

Hometown Huddle Photo GalleryClick Robert Jones, UCF's Director of Equipment, then pulled out two prototypes - one to show the helmet design and the other to show the color scheme, which will be glossy black and Vegas gold (not matte black and old gold).Here to view this Link.

O'Leary emphasized UCF's primary white helmet isn't going anywhere. The new black helmet will only be used for special occasions.

The pants have yet to arrive, but potential color combination mockups, includnig an all-black look, were shown on the video monitors.

During the hour-long event, O'Leary recapped spring practice and praised several players, including returning quarterback Blake Bortles, wide receiver Breshad Perriman and center Joey Grant. He felt the running backs improved throughout the spring as did the secondary. He didn't see much of an opportunity for true freshmen to break into the offensive depth chart, perhaps at running back, but said freshmen could have a better opportunity to earn secondary roles.

O'Leary stressed the need for increased fan support both home and away.

He also confirmed they're engaged in "heavy talks" with Penn State about opening the 2014 season in Ireland, but stressed nothing had been finalized. He talked about how an international game would generate tremendous exposure no matter what country they played in, but alluded to Ireland being the perfect spot because it's "O'Leary vs. O'Brien," a reference to Nittany Lions' head coach Bill O'Brien who also shares an Irish background.

During the fan Q&A session, a question was posed to O'Leary about adding names to the backs of the jerseys. He acknowledged he'd be open to doing it if a majority of fans wanted to see it.