This video from TCU-Kansas State on Saturday is making the rounds:
Is this a Kansas State football player or a Russian nesting doll?
(It’s a Kansas State football player.)
I'm so confused pic.twitter.com/fPAe32nRqB
— Bad SportsCenter (@BadSportsCenter) October 12, 2015 Your reaction is probably along the lines of the filmer -- WHAT?!?!?!?! Is this magic? Is this an optical illusion? Is this Kansas State player one of those quick change people who do halftime shows at basketball games? Is this Kansas State player a Matryoshka doll, with hundreds of smaller Kansas State players hidden inside him?
Actually, there’s an explanation for this. That’s Dominique Heath, a wide receiver/kick returner for the Wildcats. Most of the time, he wears the No. 4 jersey.
Since college football teams generally have more than 100 players and there are only 99 potential uniform numbers, most teams have some numbers doubled. At Kansas State, No. 4 is one of these numbers: Sophomore defensive back Kaleb Prewett also wears that number. The only rule is that you can’t play both players with the same number simultaneously, to avoid deception. (“Somebody guard No. 4!” ”... which one?” “The one currently scoring a touchdown!”) Since Prewett and Heath are both in on special teams, somebody had to swap out jerseys.
This isn’t that rare. But I can’t say I’ve ever seen a modified jersey like this that separates along the sides to allow for this specific purpose.
It’s pretty smart. Look at Florida State’s Jalen Ramsey struggling to swap out his No. 8 jersey so he could play special teams.
Ramsey needed to take his helmet off, and then needed two assistants to help him squeeze the jersey on over his existing jersey and pads. Meanwhile, Heath’s is easy to slip on and tear off.
Sorry for the long explanation. It was much more fun when this was magic.
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