Jim Tressel returned to Ohio Stadium on Saturday as the former Buckeyes coach was officially enshrined in the Ring of Honor during the Ball State opener.

Jim Tressel is officially back where Buckeye fans believe he belongs.

The former Ohio State football coach was enshrined in the Ohio Stadium Ring of Honor on Saturday during the Buckeyes’ season opener against Ball State, becoming just the third head coach in program history to receive the distinction.

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Tressel joins legendary coaches Woody Hayes and Paul Brown in the Ring of Honor, a fitting place for the man who restored Ohio State to national prominence in the early 2000s and made beating Michigan feel routine.

“I thank God every day that he made me a Buckeye,” Tressel told the crowd after the first quarter.

Naturally, he wore the sweater vest.

Ohio State leaned into that image during the ceremony, covering Tressel’s nameplate with a sweater-vest-themed banner before unveiling his spot next to Hayes.

Tressel coached the Buckeyes from 2001 through 2010 and compiled a 106-23 record, winning six Big Ten championships and the 2002 national title. He also went 9-1 against Michigan on the field, although the 2010 victory was later vacated.

That 2002 championship remains one of the defining seasons in modern Ohio State history.

The Buckeyes finished 14-0 and stunned heavily favored Miami in the Fiesta Bowl to win the national championship. Tressel’s ability to win rivalry games, develop elite defenses and consistently compete for conference titles turned him into one of the most beloved figures in program history.

He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2015.

Saturday’s ceremony also connected Tressel’s era to another important Buckeye figure. Former running back Maurice Clarett, a key player on the 2002 championship team, served as the pregame Victory Bell ringer.

Tressel became the first person added to Ohio State’s Ring of Honor since former quarterback Troy Smith, the 2006 Heisman Trophy winner, was honored in 2014.

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The day carried even more significance because Ohio State also moved its Senior Day celebration to the season opener, recognizing the Buckeyes’ senior class before kickoff rather than waiting until the traditional Michigan finale.

Tressel, now 73 and serving as Ohio’s lieutenant governor, has moved far beyond the sideline.

But on Saturday, inside Ohio Stadium, he was back in his most familiar role.

A Buckeye.