Dowdy mentioned it the other day, but the Boilermakers will have their names on the backs of their jerseys this year. Brandon King likes it:
"It's cool, isn't it? I like it," King said. "People won't just say, 'Hey, No. 7!' We all get that. 'Can I get your wristband, No. 7?' Now, they'll say, 'Hey, King.' 'I'll give you my wristband because you know my name now.' "
It's like magic. Simply by putting their names on the back, fans will now be able to.... read the players names. Brandon is still excited by this magical connection fans are able to make. He's also presumably stocking up on wristbands to give away to anyone who says "Hey, King!"
Now, if only first names were on there, too.
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In other media day news, Jaycen Taylor showed up wearing his black pants (instead of the gold) along with his jersey. He was the only player to do this, according to Mike Carmin of the Boilerstation.com. Also interesting from that article was this:
Wednesday, the fifth-year running back wrote his name in the dew on the Ross-Ade Stadium grass before his teammates arrived.
"I did my name over there and it ended up being backwards," Taylor said. "You know what it says if you look at it. I'm pretty sure people can read."
About an hour into interviews with reporters, Taylor's name had disappeared because the rising temperatures had dried out the grass.
Wait, I'm confused. How did his name end up.... backwards? Did he write it while watching his progress in a mirror or something? Or is JT a little dyslexic? Seriously, this is weird.