Ohio State's Ryan Day says QB Julian Sayin is out indefinitely

Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Julian Sayin. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Ohio State's Ryan Day says QB Julian Sayin is out indefinitely

By Andrew Wright | Last updated Oct 20, 2026 8:04 PM ET

Despite being the No. 3 ranked team in the country, the outlook for the remainder of the season for the Ohio State Buckeyes is quite bleak.

Ohio State's quarterback Julian Sayin left Saturday's win over Indiana with an upper-body injury, and many wondered about his status. What was initially said to be an injury that would keep Sayin out for just a few weeks appears to be much more serious than originally thought.

Ohio State has a plan in place that involves Julian Sayin missing the rest of the season

Head coach Ryan Day spoke to the media Tuesday and revealed that Sayin is now being listed as "out indefinitely" while dealing with an injury to the elbow on his throwing arm.

Day told reporters that there is no timetable for Sayin's return and that Buckeyes are putting a plan in place to prepare for Sayin missing the remainder of the season.

Sayin's injury is a crushing blow to an Ohio State team that has national championship aspirations and seemed to be hitting its stride.

Ohio State coach Ryan Day said that QB Julian Sayin is out indefinitely. There’s a plan being put in place for Sayin not being available for both the regular season and postseason. He said there’s no specific timeline on the recovery. He’s dealing with an injury on his throwing… pic.twitter.com/b3AZ669S21
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) October 20, 2026

Ryan Day said Julian Sayin will out be out indefinitely, and they’re putting a plan together to move forward as if he’s not gonna be available again for Ohio State.

Out of respect for Sayin and his family, Day said they’re not gonna put a specific timeline on anything. pic.twitter.com/yVFuTO3L7l
— Dillon Davis (@DillonDavis56) October 20, 2026

Who will be the starter moving forward?

After the injury to Sayin on Saturday, it was true freshman Luke Fahey who finished the remainder of the game. Fahey failed to connect on his two throws against Indiana and has thrown just 13 passes all season.

The Buckeyes also have Tavien St. Clair, a sophomore who has spent both seasons of his collegiate career in Columbus. Despite having spent one more year in college, St. Clair has attempted just nine passes in his time at Ohio State.

Those are two extremely inexperienced quarterbacks who will be competing for the starting job at one of the premier programs in college football.

What does the remaining schedule look like?

Ohio State is currently in its bye week, and it comes at a beneficial time when analyzing the grueling final five games of the season.

The Buckeyes have remaining road games at USC and Nebraska, as well as home games against Oregon, Northwestern and Michigan. Four of those five teams have been ranked at some point this season, making for an extremely tough finishing stretch, especially without Sayin at quarterback.

With one loss already, Ohio State can likely only afford to lose one of the remaining five games to still be considered for the College Football Playoff. Whether it be Fahey or St. Clair, the winner of the QB1 battle will be under an unsurmountable amount of pressure.

Andrew Wright

Andrew "Dew" Wright graduated from Charleston Southern University with a degree in Communication Studies. He is a lifelong Chicago Cubs and Washington Commanders fan.

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