The school soon to be formerly known as Dixie State has a new name, and now it has a new logo.
Utah Tech University unveiled its new logo ahead of the July 1 re-birth date and, while they didn't ask my opinion, I'd have told them they nailed it.
The state of Utah is outlined in the negative space of the U, and the notch on the left side of the U forms a 1, signifying the school's recent move to Division I. The red and blue colors remain the same; the blue represents the state's the skies, the red underneath for the Southwest's famous red rocks.
Another aspect of the change that becomes apparent with the new logo: the name Utah Tech, when abbreviated, also happens to be the state's postal code, UT. That didn't dawn on me until it was put right in front of my eyeballs by this new logo. (Please tell me I'm not the only who didn't realize this until now. Please?) Considering the entire reason the school changed its name is because the layman didn't realize Dixie State University was located in St. George, Utah, and it's clear that Utah Tech knocked it out of the part with this new logo. Dixie State University could've been anywhere, especially if anywhere was Alabama or Mississippi. That logo couldn't represent a school anywhere but Utah.
Trailblazers, the moment is here! The new Utah Tech University logos are ready. We are excited to share them with you now as we start rebranding the campus to make sure Utah Tech University is ready for students in the fall. Learn more at https://t.co/fyfsRS31mw. pic.twitter.com/3cJBjAl3a3
— Utah Tech University (@utahtechu) May 15, 2022
And here's where it gets interesting, or at least as interesting as an FCS team's logo can get.
This was Dixie State's helmet in 2021, its last season as Dixie State.
The Trailblazer nickname and logo will survive the change, but that helmet decal will not.
We haven't seen the full uniform, and the Trailblazer logo could remain on one half of the helmet. Pretty much everything else will have to go, in one form or another. Everything from English-department letterhead to a couple dozen white seats on the home side of Greater Zion Stadium will have to go.
Given all the other moving parts on campus, one could have seen why Utah Tech might've left the football helmet alone. Why change something that doesn't need changing, when you have a million and one other things you have to change?
But most people first encounter a university through its football team, and most people first encounter the football team through the football helmet.
When viewed from that angle, the old helmet decals would've been the first thing to go.