Whether or not the Irish wear their green jerseys Saturday, fans will have a uniform change to buzz about. Notre Dame's traditional gold helmets are now more, well, gold.
"We've been frustrated with the helmet and it just has never gotten to the right color," Kelly said Wednesday. "We want it to be the golden dome."
For decades student managers have spray-painted the helmets before each game. Now, the managers will only inspect the helmets, removes scuffs and clean them. Nonetheless, the paint on the helmets will continue to have 23.9 karat gold flakes removed from the Main Building.
The helmets' finish is much shinier than the former helmets, and Kelly insists the new finish will shine through Saturday night.
"We've already had it under an HD camera and it looks terrific," he said. "We think it's the right look … Maintain the tradition of our uniform with the right gold helmet."
The helmets will also have a decal honoring Xavier Murphy, a senior manager for the team in 2010 and an intern with the team this year.
"It was a sad day for us," Kelly said the day of Murphy's death, Oct. 11. "There are a lot of heavy hearts today."
The green shamrock decal has an "X" in the middle of it, and will be worn for the rest of the season.
