The Ohio State Buckeyes knew Julian Sayin was going to be their starting quarterback heading into the 2026 college football season. It was a chance for Ryan Day to return a starter at the position, something he hasn’t been able to do in a few years since C.J. Stroud. 

For the Buckeyes, the bigger story, though, has been the surprising backup quarterback battle between freshman Luke Fahey and Tavien St. Clair, and the direction it has gone carries significant implications for Ohio State’s quarterback room moving forward.

Luke Fahey has emerged as Ohio State’s QB2 clearly 

Entering the season, most expected St. Clair to be the clear No. 2 behind Sayin. Instead, Fahey, the former three-star recruit and freshman out of California, has been Ohio State’s backup quarterback over St. Clair, the former five-star recruit from Ohio. The first two games against Ball State and Kent State gave Day a chance to rotate his backups in, and Fahey was the first one off the bench in both.

Day opened up this week about where Fahey stands, and it sounds like the freshman has been everything Ohio State hoped he could be and more.

“Every day you walk in this building, you got an opportunity to prove yourself and to earn trust. Luke has done that,” Day stated. “He’s been the first one in the game the last couple of games, and if he continues to do what he’s doing, I would continue to see it going that way.”

Day did add that St. Clair is working hard and is right there too. Still, the message from the head coach paints a clear picture of where the pecking order stands .

What this means for Tavien St. Clair’s future

This situation signals trouble for St. Clair, who has all the physical tools in the world but hasn’t been able to develop and separate himself as the next man up at Ohio State. Fahey being a freshman and already ahead of St. Clair on the depth chart makes the outlook even more concerning for the former five-star recruit.

Factor in Brady Edmunds coming in the class of 2027 and five-star recruit Christopher Vargas in the class of 2028, and the path to a starting job at Ohio State gets even narrower. If this continues to go in Fahey’s direction, there’s little doubt St. Clair will need to enter the transfer portal after the season if he wants to be a starter somewhere. He’s simply not going to be the starter at Ohio State entering his third year.

The Buckeyes will likely look to the portal as well to add depth or a potential starter depending on what happens with Sayin after the season. It’s a situation nobody saw coming a year ago, and it will be worth watching how the quarterback room shakes out over the rest of the fall.