SEC Jersey Guide: Player threads available to purchase for the 2016 season

Want to show your team spirit without actually being a part of the team? Buy a jersey! It’s the next best thing to do without having to take a hit from a D-I linebacker.

SEC fans love jerseys. During game days, you can find numerous fanatics sporting their favorite players’ numbers.

In 2016, there are many choices for SEC fans. Many teams are now selling jerseys of former players, rather than just abiding by the NCAA rules and releasing generic numbers of current stars without identification.

We scoured the internet to find the entire selection of jerseys for each team. Here are the choices for each fan base in 2016.

2016 SEC player jerseys available to the public

ALABAMA (Nike)

• No. 8: home (Julio Jones)
• No. 9: home (Amari Cooper)
• No. 10: home (AJ McCarron)
• No. 15: home (Ronnie Harrison, JK Scott)
• No. 16: home or away (national championships)
• No. 27: home (Derrick Henry before number change)

Quick look: Alabama is cashing in on its past with this year’s jersey collection. Fans can order jerseys from recent stars like Julio Jones, Amari Cooper and AJ McCarron. Since these players are no longer student-athletes, their names are included on the back. That will be a theme with many other schools as well. As far as this year’s team goes, many of the offensive skill positions are still up for grabs, so the selection is limited.

ARKANSAS (Nike)

• No. 00: home or away (custom)
• No. 1: cardinal and white or anthracite and cardinal (Jared Cornelius)
• No. 16: anthracrite (Cornelius Floyd, La’Michael Pettway)
• No. 64: cardinal, throwback (honoring 1964 undefeated season)
• No. 86: home or away (Tobias Enlow, Armon Watts)

Quick look: Arkansas’ jersey choices are pretty standard. There’s the No. 1, which is worn by Jared Cornelius, and No. 16, which will be donned by La’Michael Pettway. Perhaps the coolest choice is No. 64. You don’t see a lineman number that often, which is what it could pass for. However, it’s honoring Arkansas’ undefeated season in 1964, which ended with the Hogs getting controversially snubbed from a national championship, leading to a new voting format in 1968.

AUBURN (Under Armour)

• No. 1: home or away (Montravius Adams, Woody Barrett)
• No. 2: home or away (Cam Newton)
• No. 11: home or away (Karlos Dansby)
• No. 14: home or away (Nick Marshall)
• No. 18: home or away (Sammie Coates)
• No. 20: home or away (Corey Grant)
• No. 21: home or away (Tre Mason)
• No. 34: home or away (Bo Jackson)
• No. 90: home or away (Nick Fairley)

Quick look: Auburn loves tradition. Most of its jersey selections are numbers worn by several of the most beloved players in school history. Seriously though, what current jersey would be cooler than a Cam Newton or Bo Jackson throwback? Newton’s No. 2 — among several other players from the past decade — features his last name on the back, which will save you both time and money if you want it sowed on to a bland replica.

FLORIDA (Nike)

• No. 1: home, away or orange alternate (Percy Harvin, etc)

Quick look: Florida is keeping it simple with its selection. The only jersey you can buy is No. 1, worn famously by Percy Harvin, Reggie Nelson and several other standouts. But surely there will be plenty of No. 15 jerseys in The Swamp worn by fans holding on to the Tim Tebow era regardless.

GEORGIA (Nike)

• No. 00: home or away (Custom)
• No. 1: home or away (Sony Michel)
• No. 3: home (Todd Gurley)
• No. 4: home (Mecole Hardman)
• No. 7: home (Matthew Stafford)
• No. 8: home (A.J. Green)
• No. 11: home (Greyson Lambert, Keyon Brown)
• No. 15: home (D’Andre Walker)
• No. 26: home (Patrick Burke, Tyrique McGhee)
• No. 34: home or gray alternate (Herschel Walker)

Quick look: Georgia is giving its fans a nice selection this season. There’s the generic No. 1 jersey, which happens to be worn by star running back Sony Michel. There’s also throwbacks of several recent standouts such as Todd Gurley, Matthew Stafford and A.J. Green, as well as 1982 Heisman winner and College Football Hall of Famer Herschel Walker. The only complaint is the lack of No. 27 jerseys. Come on, Georgia, give Nick Chubb some love.

KENTUCKY (Nike)

• No. 00: home (Custom)
• No. 1: home (Ryan Timmons)
• No. 14: blackout alternate (Luke Wright)
• No. 18: home (Stanley “Boom” Williams)
• No. 22: home (Sihiem King, Casius Smith)

Quick look: It’s almost surprising that Kentucky has several football jerseys to choose from. I totally expected to find twice as many basketball jerseys, but perhaps those are being delayed until October. Still, having Stanley “Boom” Williams’ No. 18 home jersey as a choice is smart. Williams could be poised for a breakout junior season in 2016, and the blue checkerboard sleeves only add to his jersey’s appeal.

LSU (Nike)

• No. 00: home or away (Custom)
• No. 3: home or away (Odell Beckham Jr.)
• No. 7: home, away or gridiron gray (Leonard Fournette, Tyrann Mathieu)
• No. 10: home or away (Stephen Sullivan)
• No. 15: away (Malachi Dupre)
• No. 83: home (Travin Dural)

Quick look: The conference’s most successful programs tend to have the widest selections, and LSU is no exception. In fact, the Tigers are one of the few SEC teams to have two separate jerseys for one number. Fans can buy the plain No. 7 jersey, which will be assumed to represent Heisman favorite Leonard Fournette, or the throwback with Tyrann Mathieu’s name on the back. There’s also an Odell Beckham Jr. jersey for fans to do slow motion, less athletic versions of his one-handed catches during tailgates.

MISSISSIPPI (Nike)

• No. 00: alternate (Custom)
• No. 1: alternate (Tony Bridges)
• No. 2: alternate (Mike Wallace)
• No. 10: alternate (Eli Manning)
• No. 49: alternate (Patrick Willis)

Quick look: Ole Miss is sticking with the same format as several other SEC teams: customs, No. 1 and throwbacks. The throwbacks include Mike Wallace, Eli Manning and Patrick Willis.

MISSISSIPPI STATE (Adidas)

• No. 00: home (Custom)
• No. 1: home (Brandon Bryant)
• No. 15: home, away, black alternate or Egg Bowl white alternate (Dak Prescott)

Quick look: Hey, it hasn’t even been a full season yet, so Mississippi State can keep the Dak Prescott train rolling into 2016. Unsurprisingly, No. 15 jerseys are still being sold in honor of the greatest player in Bulldogs history. You can also get a custom jersey or No. 1, but No. 15 will probably be the most popular option.

MISSOURI (Nike)

• No. 00: home or away (Custom)
• No. 1: home or yellow alternate (Chris Black, Anthony Hines)
• No. 7: alternate (Nate Brown, Cam Hilton)
• No. 39: black and alternate (Barry Odom)

Quick look: Perhaps the most notable thing about Mizzou’s jersey choices is No. 39. That’s a pretty unique number to find. But it was the same worn by former linebacker and new head coach Barry Odom during his college career. That’s a cool item to have if you’re buying in to Odom’s rebuilding plan.

SOUTH CAROLINA (Under Armour)

• No. 1: home, away or black alternate (Alshon Jeffery, Deebo Samuel)
• No. 5: home (Stephon Gilmore)
• No. 6: home (Melvin Ingram)
• No. 7: home (Jadeveon Clowney)
• No. 9: home (Jonathan Joseph)
• No. 14: home (Connor Shaw)
• No. 17: home (Dylan Thompson, Chaz Elder)
• No. 28: home (Mike Davis)

Quick look: South Carolina has plenty of choices for its fans, many of which are Spurrier-era players. There’s a plain No. 1 jersey, as well as one dedicated to former standout wide receiver Alshon Jeffery. Jadeveon Clowney, Connor Shaw and Mike Davis also have throwbacks for fans to wear at Willy B this season.

TENNESSEE (Nike)

• No. 00: home or away (Custom)
• No. 16: home or away (Peyton Manning)
• No. 98: home or gray alternate (Last national championship)

Quick look: Come on, Tennessee. Most of the hype surrounding the program is based on the team returning more starters than any of its SEC East rivals. Yet your only choices for Vols threads are Peyton Manning’s No. 16 and No. 98, in honor of its 1998 BCS national championship season. At least release a generic No. 1 for Jalen Hurd or No. 11 for Joshua Dobbs.

TEXAS A&M (Adidas)

• No. 2: home or away (Johnny Manziel)
• No. 12: home or away (12th Man)

Quick look: If you had to guess on which two numbers would be options for Texas A&M, you’d likely pick No. 2 and No. 12. The first was worn by Johnny Manziel, while the latter represents the “12th Man” tradition. Maybe Aggies fans will have a No. 15 jersey for Myles Garrett once he pursues an NFL career.

VANDERBILT (Nike)

• No. 14: home (Ryan White, Kyle Shurmur)
• No. 15: home (Elijah Hamilton)

Quick look: Pretty basic. Vanderbilt has the same two numbers from last season. At least now Kyle Shurmur is the starting quarterback, so fans will have a reason to buy No. 14. However, I’m almost surprised there wasn’t a No. 16. It’s almost as if the ‘Dores are just counting the years since James Franklin left.