ATLANTA — It has been a hectic month for the Ohio State Buckeyes as they traverse the nation during the playoffs, and now they have reached the national championship.
Ensuring that everything runs smoothly requires extensive planning so that players and coaches have what they need. Spectrum News 1 spoke with the director of football equipment for the Buckeyes about the challenges faced on the road.
This season, the equipment truck has been spotted at various locations from AT&T Stadium to Wrigley Field. However, this playoff journey has posed a unique challenge for the equipment team.
“The schedule was tight, and the time between games was limited, plus the distances were great, so we invested a lot of effort and planning into it,” said Kevin Ries, the Ohio State Football Director of Football Equipment.
Kevin Ries has meticulously planned the CFP travel for the team’s equipment. (Spectrum News 1/Katie Kapusta)
“Overall, we’re looking at about 3,500 miles,” Reis noted. “We saved approximately 2,400 miles by not returning to Dallas from L.A.”
Following the Tennessee game, the equipment traveled from Pasadena to Dallas and then back to Columbus for a brief three-day period before heading to Atlanta.
The truck has made stops to Pasadena, Dallas, and Atlanta since the end of December. (Spectrum News 1/Katie Kapusta)
“We’ve spent 20 out of the last 26 days traveling,” Ries mentioned. “It’s been an overwhelming month.”
Ries emphasized that careful coordination is essential to ensure everything is in place at the right time.
“We had to pack for two different games and uniforms while making sure the Buckeyes maintained their identity at every location without needing to return to Columbus,” he explained.
Ohio State is playing for its first National Championship since 2014 (Spectrum News 1/Katie Kapusta)
The added stop in Columbus allowed them to collect special uniforms reminiscent of their last National Championship run.
“During the initial four-team playoff in 2014, we collaborated with Nike to design something distinctive for the championship, deviating from our traditional uniform,” Ries stated. “We have different eras of tradition at Ohio State, and we’ve dubbed them the Heritage Stripes, representing the Woody era.”
