Ohio State football to hold Senior Day before season opener

Field Level Media|published: Sat 15th August, 11:27 2026

Ohio State Buckeyes tight end Will Kacmarek (89) shakes hands with head coach Ryan Day during senior day honors prior to the NCAA football game against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Ohio Stadium in Columbus on Nov. 22, 2025. Ohio State won 42-9.

Ohio State football has moved its 2026 Senior Day from the end of the season to the beginning.

The Buckeyes will honor their seniors before the Week 1 home opener against Ball State on Sept. 5 in Columbus.

Former head coach Jim Tressel, who won the BCS National Championship with the Buckeyes in 2002 and is now Ohio's lieutenant governor, will be inducted into the school's Ring of Honor that day, as well.

The Senior Day festivities traditionally are held before the regular-season finale at Ohio Stadium. The home finale this season will be played Nov. 28 against Michigan.

The move to Week 1 avoids putting the celebration on the same day as the rivalry game with the Wolverines, always an emotionally charged event even without marking Senior Day.

On the 2024 Senior Day, Ohio State hosted Michigan and lost 13-10.

The Buckeyes have not indicated whether this move will be permanent or occur on a year-by-year basis. ESPN reported that other schools, including Georgia and South Carolina, have moved Senior Day celebrations when they overlapped with rivalry games.

--Field Level Media

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