Ohio State football fans speculate uniform announcement. What to know
Ohio State football fans speculate uniform announcement. What to know
Dan Aulbach, Columbus DispatchMon, May 11, 2026 at 7:13 PM UTC
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Ohio State football has teased an announcement on social media for 6:14 p.m. May 11, and fans believe it could be related to the release of new or uniforms for the 2026 season.
On May 10 at 6:14 p.m. (synonymous with the Columbus area code), Ohio State football posted on social media a photo of a football player silhouette with the date and time of the possible announcement and two hourglass emojis as the caption.
While ominous, the photo has led to fan speculation about potential updates to the Ohio State uniforms, such as a return of all-black jerseys.
The all-black jerseys were last worn against Wisconsin during a September 2022 home game. Fans pointed out online that in an interview with "I AM ATHELTE" Jan. 18, former Ohio State safety Caleb Downs teased that the black uniforms could be making a comeback next season.
"I wish they'd let us wear black, I'm going to be honest," Downs said. "We didn't get to wear them since I've been here. ... They're supposed to wear them next year."
Another fan speculation about the jerseys is the inclusion of the "heritage stripe," which has been reserved for playoff appearances and also worn on practice jerseys during the Ohio State spring game.
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Ohio State tight end Cade Stover celebrates after scoring a touchdown against Wisconsin in 2022.
The last time the heritage stripe was worn by the Buckeyes in a game was the 2025 national championship against Notre Dame. The Buckeyes wore white jerseys with the three gray stripes outlining two scarlet stripes in the 34-23 victory.
Before the national championship, the Buckeyes had worn the heritage stripe in the 2022 College Football Playoff Peach Bowl semifinal loss to Georgia.
Offensive lineman Austin Siereveld (67) stands on the sideline during the Ohio State football spring game at Ohio Stadium on Saturday, April 18, 2026 in Columbus, Ohio.
Ohio State was slated to wear the heritage stripe jerseys in the 2014 season for "The Game" against Michigan, but opted to shelve them for the upcoming postseason run that year. Ohio State director of football equipment Kevin Ries said in 2022 that wearing the stripes in the playoffs was homage to recognizing previous national championship teams.
Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Jeremiah Smith (4) runs the ball against Notre Dame Fighting Irish cornerback Christian Gray (29) during the College Football Playoff championship at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Jan. 20, 2025.
The last time Ohio State wore the stripes as part of its normal uniforms was in the 2005 season. Former Ohio State linebacker Bobby Carpenter, who played from 2002-2005, hinted about something "returning" in a quote tweet of the Ohio State post.
"Good times returning ... but patience has its rewards," Carpenter wrote.
Ohio State primarily wore the "heritage stripe" colors during the 1944-56, 1967-78 and 1988-2005 seasons, which included national championships in 1954, 1968, 1970 and 2002.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State football fans speculate uniform social media announcement
Source: “AOL Sports”
