Black jerseys have been in Ohio State's back pocket longer than you think.
Now, we know what they'll look like, courtesy of this tweet from uniform aficionado Andrew Lind:
Source tells me, despite missing Nike logo on chest and tag, that these are Ohio State's new black jerseys: pic.twitter.com/zaQmo8morW
— Andrew Lind (@AndrewMLind) October 2, 2015
We can confirm that these are, in fact, the retail version of the jerseys Ohio State will wear for their home bout with Penn State Oct. 17, an 8 p.m. kickoff that figures to be a massive recruiting weekend.
As Lind mentions, the only thing that's missing in these photos is the scarlet Swoosh from the left chest that will be featured on player jerseys and those sold at retail. Of course, the sleeve structure will differ and the B1G logo will also appear on the on the chest opposite the Nike swoosh. Other than that, as far as the color scheme, number placement, font, and other details, they're spot-on to what we've seen privately.
The jerseys will have scarlet numbers with gray borders, along with white-scarlet-white sleeves. A scarlet Nike swoosh will also be on the left front chest plate of the uniform, in the same position of the chrome swoosh on the kit Ohio State wore in the 2014 College Football Playoff. The same style of numbers on the front and back of the jerseys will also appear on the shoulders of the new uniform.
It's been almost a year since whispers began flooding the Internet about the possibility of Ohio State wearing black uniforms for a game at Ohio Stadium.
ESPN was granted access to Urban Meyer's office in late October 2014 and photos popped up of what appeared to be a black uniform mockup.
Ohio State's head coach said shortly thereafter that his team could don the black threads "somewhere down the road," but it ultimately was up to his boss, Ohio State Vice President and Director of Athletics Gene Smith. You know how much Meyer adores recruiting, and it's all about making the talented teens considering Ohio State happy.
In early August, news broke of Ohio State's intentions to wear the jerseys sometime in the 2015 season, with photos of a T-shirt mockup to boot.
Then, more details emerged Sunday about the rest of the getup, which will include black pants and scarlet shoes.
As you can see, the actual jersey is a tad different from the original look spotted in Meyer's office last October, but it is along the same lines.
Smith understands how important recruiting is in nearly the same way as Meyer, so it is not surprising the Buckeyes are set to sport the radical look against the Nittany Lions in the first home night game of 2015.
