The Ohio State Max 90 Vapor starts with red suede, black leather, and a silver Swoosh edged with teeth. The Oregon Vaporposite Pro wraps a glow-in-the-dark Swoosh in frayed fabric. Both are American football cleats, and both use recognizable Nike designs to say something about a particular program. Ohio State gets a reference to the stadium it has called home since 1922. Oregon gets a new version of a design that began with a cleat for the Ducks. The two projects share a sport and a price, but their uppers and plates tell different stories.
Nike Max 90 Vapor Ohio State
The Max 90 Vapor brings the Air Max 90’s layered profile to a Vapor Pro football cleat. Shaggy University Red suede covers the toe box and upper panels, and black leather forms the angular sections along the sides. The silver Swoosh has a row of black teeth, and claw marks appear on the upper. There’s enough going on in the red and black panels to make the cleat recognizable from the side, with the Ohio State references tucked into places you see when you pick it up.
SNEAKERS
The tongue reads “Defend the Shoe.” In Columbus, that means Ohio Stadium, which took its Horseshoe nickname from the shape of its open south end. “Fight to the End” appears in Old English lettering on the insoles. Nike repeats the phrases on the companion Air Max 90 “Guardian of the Gates,” whose three-headed guardian represents offense, defense, and special teams. The shared lettering connects the two designs, and the teeth and claw marks give that guardian a presence on the cleat.
Below the suede and leather, Nike stitches an Air Zoom Vapor plate into the upper. The widely spaced studs are part of the Vapor football setup, and the plate supplies the responsive construction Nike specifies for this edition. The distinction is clearest in profile. The upper keeps the Air Max 90’s angular lines, while the studded sole changes what the shoe is built to do. The Max 90 Vapor Ohio State releases November 6, 2026, through U.S. Nike SNKRS for $200 and carries style code JF3429-600.
Nike Vaporposite Pro Black and White
Oregon’s Vaporposite Pro takes its shape from the Foamposite, a Nike Basketball design that dates to 1997. The Air Foamposite Pro added a prominent Swoosh on the side of the molded upper, a placement that becomes central to the Oregon cleat. Copper and green tones color the shell, and strips of frayed fabric surround the Swooshes. In daylight, the fabric breaks up the smooth surface. In the dark, the Swooshes glow. The combination revisits an earlier Oregon player exclusive and gives the “Mummy Duck” treatment a new on-field version.
The wrapping continues at the tongue, where the mummified Duck appears against distressed fabric. Green Oregon “O” logos mark the rear pull tabs, and an iridescent finish covers the studded sole. The school marks sit at the front and back of the cleat, leaving the broad sides of the shell to the fabric and glowing Swooshes.
Inside, a full-length plate provides flexible support. Nike spaces the studs wide to support quick cuts, the same broad traction idea it uses on the Ohio State pair. The construction above them differs. The Vaporposite houses its plate inside the cleat, with the molded shell defining the exterior. The Ohio State model stitches its Air Zoom Vapor plate into a layered upper. The Vaporposite Pro “Black and White” releases December 15, 2026, through U.S. Nike SNKRS for $200 and carries style code JF3430-001.
