Daniel HuggettUpdate: Click here for official information regarding these sneakers
For many, Nike’s now annual “Week Zero” sneaker release is often lauded as one of the high points of the college football pre-season. The chance to pick up a pair of kicks in that ever elusive burnt orange color, complete with University of Texas branding is something that many Longhorn fans look forward to each year, and the yearly release has become beacon of sorts which signals that Game 1 will soon be here. Despite that, this year’s pair (the Pegasus 36) left some UT die-hards wanting more, particularly in regards to the men’s pair.
TEXAS LONG HORNS pic.twitter.com/Xh1ogLR3vW
— stmr useleven (@US_11) September 28, 2019
Fans who were expecting a more traditional approach to a Longhorn sneaker may be in luck, as images of a University of Texas colorway of the Nike Element React 55 University of Texas have now leaked about 5 weeks into the 2019 football season. These images come from the same user who leaked Nike.com images of the UT Pegasus 36 almost two months before they were available to purchase, which is a good sign that these React 55s will release to the general public as well. While Nike dropping two Texas Longhorn sneakers so close to one another is unusual, it is not unprecedented. This happened most notably in March of 2017, when the footwear giant released the KD9 Texas and made UT Air Force 1s and Dunks available to customize on NIKEiD within 10 days of each other.
This Texas specific React Element 55 features a burnt orange upper placed on a white midsole; a simple color combination that Nike often seems hesitant to execute. As far as UT branding goes, the Longhorn logo is visible on the medial side of the upper as well as the insole of the shoe, and the word “Longhorns” is inscribed on the tongue. A white Swoosh and white accents cap off what is sure to be a colorway that will go down as one of the all-time greats, at least as far as University of Texas themed sneakers go.
The Nike Element React 55 is one of the more popular sportswear silhouettes in Nike’s stable today. Featuring a lightweight textile and synthetic upper inspired by the classic Nike Internationalist, the shoe pairs modern design features with classic 80s running styling. A full-length Nike React foam midsole underfoot provides the perfect blend responsive and soft cushioning, making this running-inspired sneaker ideal for all day comfort on game day.
Burnt orange, white, and Texas Branding. These are the ingredients necessary to create the perfect Texas Longhorns sneaker. As I alluded to earlier, I’m personally a huge fan of how these turned out, and I’m still a little surprised that Nike actually decided to prominently feature school colors on this shoe (what a concept). My only complaint is that I might have preferred a bit more Texas branding, but even that is mostly a nitpick given the fact that over-branding could hurt this pair’s wearability.
October 5th has been mentioned as a possible release date for some of the other college Element React 55s, but nothing concrete has been announced yet for these newly leaked Texas runners. A “Coming Soon” page on Nike.com shows that MSRP for these will be $140.
What do you think of the these Longhorn Element React 55s? Are they better then the Pegasus 36s that released back in July, or did Nike swing and strike out this season by going with sportswear and running specific shoes instead of a more traditional trainer?
Images via @US_11
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