Ohio State has unveiled the new turf design for Ohio Stadium.
The new turf, which will be installed in the Shoe over the summer, features some small tweaks – but no major changes – from the current field design.
The Block O at midfield and the end zones will now be outlined in gray rather than white, while the black, white and scarlet helmet stripe pattern will also be featured in the middle of both end zones, matching the width of the goal posts. The end zones, which will both remain scarlet, will now feature the official OHIO STATE and BUCKEYES wordmarks, rather than the more generic font that was used previously.
The font used for the yard line numbers will also now match the numbers used on the players’ uniforms, while the x’s designating the kickoff locations at the 35-yard line have been replaced by Buckeye leaves.
Ohio State selected its new turf design after holding an open call for fans to submit their own design ideas in October. Per Ohio State, more than 1,300 total designs were submitted through that process; 59 percent of those designs included the Block O at midfield, 48 percent of those designs incorporated Buckeye leaves and 46 percent of those designs called for scarlet end zones, compared to 21 percent in favor of gray end zones.
A new turf field with the same design will also be installed at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center following the conclusion of spring practices in April.
The existing turf inside Ohio Stadium will remain in place for the April 16 spring game, so the first game played on the new field will be the Buckeyes’ Sept. 3 season opener against Notre Dame.
