Getting to know Ohio State QBs Luke Fahey and Tavien St. Clair

Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Luke Fahey. USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Getting to know Ohio State QBs Luke Fahey and Tavien St. Clair

By Andrew Kulha | Last updated Oct 20, 2026 8:40 PM ET

The Ohio State Buckeyes have suffered a massive injury blow at a critical time in their 2026 season.

On Tuesday, head coach Ryan Day announced that starting quarterback Julian Sayin will be out indefinitely with a right elbow injury that he suffered in No. 3-ranked Ohio State's win over the then No. 5-ranked Indiana Hoosiers.

Sayin was hurt on a quarterback sack in the fourth quarter, which led to a fumble.

The Heisman Trophy candidate had to head to the locker room and came back to the sideline in a sling.

It's a significant injury, and per ESPN's Pete Thamel, the Buckeyes are preparing for Sayin to potentially miss the rest of the regular season as well as potentially the postseason.

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

What that means for the Buckeyes is that it's time to turn to the bench, where they have two options with very little experience to speak of.

Luke Fahey is up next for the Ohio State Buckeyes

The first is true freshman Luke Fahey, who came into the game against Indiana to replace Sayin.

Fahey didn't complete a pass out of two attempts.

A former three-star recruit from Mission Viejo, California, Fahey has played in two other games this season. He's completed 9-of-13 passes for 203 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.

According to the 247Sports Composite, he was the No. 35 quarterback in the 2026 class. He committed to Ohio State over the Hoosiers, Stanford Cardinal and Oklahoma State Cowboys.

As a senior in High School, Fahey completed 207-of-292 passes for 3,199 yards and 25 touchdowns compared to just three interceptions. He also rushed 53 times for 340 yards and six touchdowns, so he does bring a ton of untapped potential to the table for the Buckeyes.

Behind Fahey is a quarterback with perhaps even more potential, but it's even more untapped, in former five-star quarterback recruit Tavien St. Clair.

Could Tavien St. Clair provide a spark for the Buckeyes?

A redshirt freshman, St. Clair was ranked as the No. 3 quarterback in the 2025 class, according to the 247Sports Composite.

St. Clair appeared in just one game as a freshman and totaled just 13 snaps. He lost the backup quarterback battle to Fahey in camp, but again, he has the tools to be special.

As a senior at Bellefontaine High School in Bellefontaine, Ohio, St. Clair passes for 2,536 yards and 29 touchdowns compared to four interceptions while rushing for 254 yards and nine touchdowns.

In limited action this season, he's completed 5-of-7 passes for 52 yards, one touchdown and one interception.

If Sayin's season is truly over, he'll have finished with 2,007 yards and 19 touchdowns with four interceptions in seven games. He's third in all of college football in both yards and touchdowns thrown for.

Andrew Kulha

Andrew Kulha is probably the only sports writer you know who also doubles as a mortician. Spooky! @KulhaSports

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