As much as people like to deny that players are choosing schools for uniforms, it is happening. In regards to a new recruit picking the U, this was just posted on a gopher forum:
I'm stealing this from 101st Gopher over at GS:
GS: What was your favorite part about the recruiting process?
Damarius Travis: “My visit, they have a major I’m interested in, the new uniforms and the coaching."
Nothing wrong with looking good while you are playing!
Now we can break this down a bit albeit seemingly a bit out of context. He cites his favorite parts of the recruiting process as his visit, major, uniforms and coaching but his response alludes more to why he chose the U. According to the recruiting pages I found his only official visit was to the U of M, and barring any unforseen major we can play off of a bit of stereotype and say that most likely the other schools he was considering have the business, marketing or sports management major he is looking into. So likely those weren't that big of influences. Which leaves unis and coaching, and Coach Kill is a good guy, good coach, says and does the right things, has the drive to win and help the players succeed, which IMO would/should be the biggest influence on the decision.
Likely there are other reasons that probably didn't come to the top of his head during the interview and uniforms may not be the #1 reason he chose the U of M but the fact that he even brings it up in conversation is enough to convince that its definitely on players minds when considering a school. Granted its not like he is choosing from a lot of high profile schools (if you can consider the U high profile) that frequently have pro-combat changes (a la Oregon, Ohio State) but even then he cites the new look as a + for the U and its not like the new Gopher uniforms are Oregon-flashy. So you can about imagine when a kid walks in to Autzen knowing the Ducks uni history and the buzz/hype it creates, then seeing the chrome, matte, neon, etc and all 800 combinations in person, how those uni thoughts would sway players.
Just some thoughts I had after seeing that quote. Take it for what you will.