Ohio State football will pay traditional HBCU football power Grambling State University a pretty penny next fall.
The two programs are set to meet in Columbus, Oh on Sept. 6, 2025 for the first-time ever. Grambling State will be paid $1 million for the game – a solid payday for an FCS program, but still a discount for Ohio State football.
The game with the SWAC program replaces one scheduled for Oct. 2025 with UConn. Ohio State football was set to pay the G5 school nearly double – $1.9 million – for one game, according to FBSchedules.com. Instead, the two sides decided to pull out of a deal that was agreed to back in 2020.
While it will save Ohio State some money, a $1 million payday is nothing to sneeze at. It is the same price that Notre Dame paid Tennessee State University to serve as its home opener in Sept. 2023. It is $100k more than OSU paid its first HBCU opponent, Florida A&M, back in 2013. OSU beat FAMU 76-0 in that game.
The game features two of the most historic football brands in college football history. Grambling State boasts 27 Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Championships, 16 Black College National Titles and has produced four Pro Football Hall of Famers in Willie Brown, Buck Buchanan, Willie Davis and Charlie Joiner. The Tigers also cultivated Super Bowl XXII MVP Doug Williams, James “Shack” Harris and the first player to be drafted to the NFL, Paul “Tank” Younger.
“This is another example of us being able to showcase our brand to a national audience,” said Grambling State University Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Dr. Travyean D. Scott. “We are thrilled that our players and fans will get to experience a matchup between two of the most storied football programs in the country. When you think of college football, Grambling State and Ohio State are two of the names that many think of immediately. This contest will allow our both fan bases to experience the cultural and athletic excellence of both institutions.”