Ohio State is preparing for the possibility of playing without star quarterback Julian Sayin for the rest of the season, though head coach Ryan Day said Sayin is out indefinitely and has not been ruled out for the year, after the 21-year-old Heisman finalist suffered a shoulder injury during the Buckeyes' 19-15 win over Indiana. The No. 3 Buckeyes now enter their bye week facing an unplanned quarterback competition between true freshman Luke Fahey and sophomore Tavien St. Clair, with a trip to face No. 16 USC looming on Halloween.
Day spoke Tuesday evening at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center, where offensive coordinator Arthur Smith and defensive coordinator Matt Patricia also spoke, according to WBNS 10TV. Day said Sayin is out indefinitely with no recovery timeline set, and that Ohio State is bracing for the possibility he won't return this season, the New York Post reported. Sayin suffered the injury on a fourth-quarter sack by Indiana's Mario Landino during the October 17 win in Bloomington, and was evaluated on the sideline and seen wearing a sling afterward, per the same report.
A Heisman-Caliber Season Cut Short
The injury is a brutal blow to an Ohio State offense that had been humming behind Sayin, who ranked sixth nationally among FBS quarterbacks entering Week 7 with 1,772 passing yards and was tied for fourth with 17 touchdown passes, according to FOX Sports. For the season, the Post reports Sayin has thrown for 2,007 yards, 19 touchdowns and just four interceptions while completing 68.2 percent of his passes. Last year, as a Heisman finalist, he threw for 3,610 yards, 32 touchdowns and only eight interceptions while completing 77 percent of his attempts.
Luke Fahey stepped in after Sayin went down and helped close out the win over Indiana, a result that was nearly spoiled when Indiana receiver Nick Marsh caught what looked like a go-ahead touchdown on fourth-and-4 late in the fourth quarter before replay showed he'd stepped out of bounds by inches, according to the IndyStar. Indiana had entered the matchup undefeated before falling in the game's final moments.
Freshman and Five-Star Sophomore Battle for the Job
Day said Fahey had been ahead of St. Clair on the depth chart entering the Indiana game, and that both quarterbacks will get practice reps during the bye week as the staff decides who gives Ohio State the best chance to win. Fahey's appearance against Indiana was his third of the season, after games against Ball State and Kent State, per FOX Sports.
At 5-foot-11 and 206 pounds, Fahey would become Ohio State's first starting quarterback under six feet tall since Cornelius Greene, an All-Big Ten player who led the Buckeyes to multiple Rose Bowls while starting from 1973 to 1975, according to 247Sports. Fahey arrived in Columbus as a three-star recruit out of Mission Viejo High School in California, where he started for three years, won a state championship in 2023, and finished his prep career with more than 7,000 passing yards, 68 touchdowns and nine interceptions, the outlet reports.
St. Clair, by contrast, carries the pedigree of a five-star prospect from Bellefontaine, Ohio. The sophomore redshirted last season behind Sayin and former backup Lincoln Kienholz, 247Sports notes.
A West Coast Backdrop and a Program's History of Resilience
Should Fahey earn the start, his first career assignment could come against No. 16 USC in Los Angeles on October 31 — the programs' first meeting since 2017, according to Buckeye Huddle. Addressing the uncertainty at quarterback, Day pointed to Ohio State's 2014 national championship run, when third-string quarterback Cardale Jones led the Buckeyes to a title after season-ending injuries to starters Braxton Miller and J.T. Barrett, according to CoastTV.
Ohio State carries a 6-1 record and a No. 3 national ranking into its bye week before a stretch that includes home games against Oregon on November 7 and Northwestern on November 14, a road trip to Nebraska on November 21, and the regular-season finale against Michigan on November 28. How the Fahey-St. Clair competition shakes out over the next two weeks will shape how Ohio State navigates that gauntlet — and whatever comes after it in the race for the College Football Playoff.
