Tonight, the University of Miami Hurricanes will face the Indiana Hoosiers in the national college football championship, to cap off a truly theatrical season. But perhaps the most entertaining subplot to emerge among all the year’s chaos was this season’s on-field fashion trend: Princess Diana–esque biker shorts that players wore in defiance of NCAA rules (and to the delight of booty-short supremacists nationwide).
Oklahoma kicker Tate Sandell, Florida defensive end Tyreak Sapp, and Miami’s Keionte Scott and OJ Frederique have all been spotted sporting extra-short pants this season, much to the chagrin of NCAA rulebook purists.
The association’s regulations specify that athletes must wear kneepads, and pants that cover those kneepads. So players are considered noncompliant if “part of the knee is exposed” or the “full knee is exposed.” But it’s an ordinance that’s rarely enforced, which means those who choose to forgo gear like knee pads and longer pants do so at their own risk. (Knee pads are recommended to absorb impact while playing, and lower the likelihood of severe ACL and PCL injuries.)
In a mini-rant about Tate Sandall’s shorts this season, ESPN commentator Kirk Herbstreit proposed that athletes face significant consequences for wearing any mid–thigh-length attire: “Dressing like that should be a penalty. What the hell is it? Wearing shorts out there…got his Daisy Dukes on.” Colorado coach Deion Sanders was similarly put off by the clothing choice, and said that he had “too much respect for the game” to allow his players to wear super-short shorts. “I don’t understand how us coaches allow it.”
But the NCAA rulebook doesn’t call for players in short shorts to face major consequences. It simply mandates that they hop off the field and adjust their attire. (Which again, doesn’t happen often.) This minor repercussion, and the lack of its enforcement, has kept fans online going, debating about the ongoing shorts epidemic—but not all those opposed are citing safety concerns. Many commentators seem generally uncomfortable with the idea of men playing bare-legged, and have even gone so far as to make homophobic comments about players who’ve dared to wear shorts above their knees. Meanwhile, those in the pro-shorts contingent claim that they’re more comfortable for players and can expand their range of motion.
The UMiami team playing in tonight’s championship game boasts a fair share of short-short truthers (namely OJ Frederique, who truly pushes this trend to its limits). But the fact that they’ve made it all the way to the finals should indicate that the tiny garment doesn’t hinder performance.
And it’s far from the first year that players have let their legs breathe. But the proliferation of booty shorts has all but defined the ‘25-’26 season. Perhaps this will mark a turning point for general attitudes towards the fashion trend, now that more and more successful players are choosing to wear them loudly and proudly. Or maybe the NCAA will react by tightening its short shorts regulations next season, as the NFL has for so long; only time will tell. In the meantime, tonight let’s appreciate OJ Frederique’s commitment to the Daisy Duke lifestyle while we can.
