Ohio State is changing the look of its core home and away uniforms for the 2026 football season, with the Buckeyes unveiling new striping, new collar details and a subtle redesign that keeps the program’s most familiar elements in place. The home jersey’s shoulder striping has shifted from black, white and red to a gray-and-white pattern with black outlines, while the road jersey now carries gray shoulder striping with scarlet and a black outline.
The university said the gray helmet stripe that has long defined the program will remain, even as the rest of the uniforms get a refresh. Ohio State also added the block O logo to the front collar of each uniform, describing it as a symbol of strength, pride and an unbreakable spirit, and placed a new festoon design inside the collar to honor the look of Ohio Stadium. Ross Bjork said the updated core uniforms, with the Buckeye Stripe now in metallic silver sleeves, show how Ohio State football continues to build the strongest brand in the country.
The changes come after Ohio State revealed a black alternate uniform nicknamed Tunnel Vision earlier in the week. The school said that design includes striping elements similar to the new scarlet and white jerseys, underscoring a broader uniform rollout rather than a one-off change. Ohio State said it will pick uniforms on a game-by-game basis throughout the 2026 season, giving the Buckeyes a different look depending on the week and the theme.
The timing of the unveiling lines up with a season that already has several dates circled. Ohio State opens on Sept. 5 when Ball State comes to Columbus, then travels to Texas on Sept. 12 for a game that will start at 7:30 p.m. The regular season ends with the annual rivalry game against Michigan at Ohio Stadium on Nov. 28 at noon, a matchup that will draw the most attention to whatever uniform choice the Buckeyes make that day.
For all the changes, the message from Ohio State is that the update is an evolution, not a break from tradition. The scarlet and gray remain the base, the helmet stripe stays intact and the new details are aimed at sharpening the brand rather than replacing it. The only real unknown now is how often the Buckeyes will lean into the new options once the season begins.
