On Monday, Ohio State made two massive announcements regarding its football program. While one was as predictable as one of those weird reply guys in the comments of these teams, the other was a bit of a nice refresh. The predictable bit was that Fox announced (with an AI slop graphic, no less) that it would be covering The Game on November 28 at Ohio Stadium, and the game will kick off at noon. This year’s matchup will mark the 20th consecutive noon kickoffs between the two.
The other announcement, however, was that Ohio State’s black unis — which the Buckeyes haven’t worn since 2022 in a win over Wisconsin — would be getting a refresh. Ohio State’s black unis have been worn four times, all wins, dating back to 2015 against Penn State.
Ohio State has a history of these alternate jerseys, wearing at least one in just about every season since Urban Meyer took over. It has rocked 15 different looks from the standard scarlet and gray we all know. Whenever the Buckeyes rock the all-black look, it’ll make the iteration the third-most-utilized alternate, just behind the “Rivalry” scarlet look (six times) and the “Diamond Quest” whites (10 times).
After Updating The All-Black Look, Will Ohio State Fix The Rest?
What’s New
In the announcement for the new-look black jerseys, Ohio State broke down each of the new aspects. Calling it the “Tunnel Vision” uniforms, Ohio State updated a number of things from the obvious to a few hidden details.
To start, the most obvious change was the sleeves. The program calls the return to the gray sleeve the “evolved Buckeye stripe,” pasting the gray sleeves from those CFP Diamond Quests. In its collaboration with Nike, the Buckeye Stripe is a metallic silver designed to match the iconic silver of the Buckeyes’ helmets. While the jerseys have changed over the years, the iconic Ohio State helmet has remained the same, and the sleeves reflect that.
Another visual update is the “Block O” on the chest, replacing the other recognizable “Ohio State” logo. The Block O is synonymous with greatness at Ohio State, from its inclusion at the 50-yard line to the coaches giving it out as a number to the player who embodies what it means to be a Buckeye. It’s a small but nice update to the jersey.
The helmet has a small change, now with a silver flake finish to go along with the incredible scarlet Buckeye leaves. Finally, on the inside of the collar, the program has gone with a festoon pattern. The festoons are an homage to the Greco-Roman designs and are featured throughout Ohio Stadium.
What’s Next
Now that the all-black look has the Buckeye Stripe sleeve, the natural progression of inquiry is, “Will Ohio State add them to the standard home and away jerseys?”
One of the mutual gripes of the Lunatic Fringe™ and normies within the fanbase has been the sleeves of normal home and away jerseys. The home scarlet jerseys swapped sleeves in 2006 to a black, white, and scarlet look. The white jerseys kept gray on the sleeves, but the stripes are thinner than these Buckeye Stripes.
So, will every jersey at Ohio State match?
Currently, there are no planning announcements, but those in the know are assuring folks that more changes are coming.
Gray sleeves are coming back to the scarlet and gray.
Now, time will tell which game(s) will feature alternate looks. Last year, Ryan Day elected to just roll with the standard home and away unis for all 14 games. He’s not like his predecessor, who had a handful of alternates per year.
With this announcement, we can assume the Buckeyes will wear the all-black look at least once.
Main Image: © James Lang-Imagn Images
