We’ve seen plenty of love for NCAA DI buckets this offseason. But what we haven’t seen enough of is love for the excellent helmets out in the MCLA.
This isn’t supposed to be a “11 best helmets” or anything. There are so many MCLA programs and so many wonderful helmets that I wouldn’t want to claim I’ve found the best ones. Instead, here are 11 that I really like. If you’ve got some that you really like, send them to me!
Let’s spread the helmet love.
MCLA Helmets I Love
Colorado State
I’ve always been a sucker for the ram horns, and CSU has been rocking variations of these helmets for a long time. These were some of my favorite helmets in all of lacrosse growing up, so I don’t see a reason to change a classic. The current iteration, the white with the green horns, is timeless. Big fan.
South Carolina
The Gamecock logo is pretty great, and replacing the name with an overblown rooster was a huge win for USC. The slight metallic finish also makes these pop better, which is always a nice add for a white helmet. Bonus points for the porthole mesh jerseys.
Oregon
I mean, c’mon, this is the most obvious choice on this whole list. The Ducks lax team, like their football counterparts, rock some elite gear. In this man’s humble opinion, their matte green throwback buckets are their best ones, but the argument can easily be made for the chrome ones, too. Simple, classic wording with a beautiful matte shell and a pop of color. These buckets are fantastic.
SMU
The use of the throwback logo here is incredible. The blue is such a pleasant shade, while the red chrome of the facemask is a great accent and adds a little futurism to the throwback look that the logo and vent stripes give off. Including the blue accents to the S-Jaw also just makes this a particularly colorful bucket for a white base. Well done.
San Diego State
Some things are super hard to do wrong. Matte black lacrosse helmets are one of those things. The matte black Cascade helmet is probably my favorite helmet base, but San Diego State did a great job of sprucing its version up. The white outline on the logo really makes it pop off the black, and the blood-red stripe going down the middle of the helmet is just mean. This thing looks like a sports car, somehow.
Liberty
Arguably the most futuristic looking of all of these, Liberty really found a great way to use some of the newer helmet customization features that Cascade has to offer. The matte navy shell is gorgeous but also really allows for the chrome decal to pop right off the side of the helmet. A chrome facemask is nice and clean here, and the little added spark of the chrome jaw decal puts it over the top as one of the most fashionable MCLA helmets.
Texas
There have been some fantastic chrome helmets in recent years, but I couldn’t think of an iconic use of the orange chrome…until Texas did it. My issue with the orange chrome was that it was so dark, which didn’t really match a team like Cuse. But hoo buddy, does it ever match with the burnt orange of the Longhorns. A simple white outlined logo is all anyone needs to know exactly who these belong to. The pearl finish of the mask and chin keeps things nice and clean, in the best way.
North Dakota State
The Ducks might have a rival (ba dum tss) when it comes to green and yellow. The Bison took the same helmet concept (matte green, yellow mask) but tricked it out a bit more, adding matte striping and a double logo to the sides. Something about the seemingly-stenciled “BISON” on the side makes me think of Aliens, or Halo, or something else with some sort of futuristic military. Regardless, I do wonder if some might prefer this style, even if brand name makes them want to keep quiet about that.
Arkansas
Imagine going down for the faceoff, taking a knee, and staring straight into the menacing eyes of an actual Razorback. Extremely creative to put an entire logo like this onto the vents of the helmet itself. I’m not sure I’ve seen another team do this at the college level. For me, it 100 percent works. Plus the more tilt you rock, the more the logo shows. That’s a win-win.
Chapman
Finally, I’ve got Chapman, whose helmets the Waterdogs basically just ripped off and changed the colors. It’s simple, elegant, has a little bit of flair with the chrome, and looks fresh no matter the weather conditions. If it was good enough for the PLL to pull a “can I copy your homework?” on, it’s good enough for me.
Florida
The Gators are sneakily one of the best fitted teams in the country, and their helmets do not disappoint. That bold, brilliant orange might remind fans of some of the nicer Syracuse helmets, but rocking the blue and white vent stripes adds a good amount of flavor. I particularly like how the white stripe down the middle fades into the pearl white of the facemask. Florida nailed it here. Maybe give the football team some tips.
This article was originally published on Nov. 11, 2020.