Some traditions are considered untouchable in college football. That's why Michigan Wolverines fans are pushing back after a reported change to the program's iconic winged helmet surfaced online.

The Wolverines found themselves in the center of the fan discussion over the weekend after four-star 2027 offensive lineman Lincoln Mageo was photographed holding a white helmet during his official visit to Michigan.

Even three-star offensive lineman Sidney Rouleau, who committed to the Wolverines this March, was seen wearing the same white helmet.

Michigan’s iconic winged helmet is one of the most influential designs in football history, so much so that countless high schools and college programs have borrowed the look over the years, including the Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens.

The history of the winged helmet is even more compelling, dating back to 1938, when Fritz Crisler decided Michigan needed a distinctive look that would set it apart from the rest of the country.

According to SI.Com, the alternate designs are reportedly being used only for recruiting photos and not for the team to actually wear this season, but the explanation did little to calm fans, who were up in arms over the design change.

Wolverine Faithful Push Back Against Michigan’s New-Look Helmet

The color scheme did not work well with the fans, as summed it up in one word:

"Atrocious"

One fan believed that a different color scheme might have worked better, '"Ngl these ugly as hell.. maybe if the yellow was blue."

Another fan pointed out that the recruits don't look particularly thrilled with the new headgear, writing, “Neither recruit looks happy to be there or about the helmets.”

One fan opined, “Um…no thanks. Maize and Blue fine with me.”

Fans weren’t alone in pushing back against Michigan’s new helmet design. Even Barstool founder and longtime Wolverines supporter Dave Portnoy also voiced his concerns about the new helmet design during his Wake Up Barstool podcast

“I’ll puke if we wear those,” Portnoy said. “I am going to say something controversial here. I’d rather lose with our traditional helmets than win with those… We aren’t getting away from tradition, not at Michigan.”

That said, what is your opinion on the new helmet design? State your opinion in the comments below.

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Written by

Suryakant Das

Edited by

Zaid Quraishi