The Ohio State Buckeyes are in for a bit of difficulty going forward. They don’t have their starting quarterback.
That was known, of course. Julian Sayin was injured on Oct. 17 at Indiana. He didn’t finish the game and had his right arm in a sling afterward.
Still, it’s worth making note of the fact that Ohio State made Sayin’s status official on Wednesday night.
Ohio State Announces Official Julian Sayin Injury News
Ohio State has made official for their first game since Sayin’s injury that he won’t be playing at USC on Saturday.
The Big Ten releases its first availability report for each weekend’s games on Wednesday night, and since the Buckeyes had a bye last week, they haven’t had any kind of injury report since Sayin got hurt.
On Wednesday’s release, though, Sayin was listed officially as OUT.
WR Brandon Inniss and DB Jay Timmons are questionable for Ohio State. Trojan questionables includes — Jahkeem Stewart and Mark Bowman. https://t.co/t9XL9puiId
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) October 29, 2026
As the ESPN insider Pete Thamel notes, WR Brandon Inniss is questionable. That’ll also impact the passing game for the Buckeyes.
But the biggest part of the passing attack, of course, is the quarterback. Sayin, who has been called out “indefinitely” by Buckeyes coach Ryan Day, is confirmed as officially as possible as being out. Now comes the hard part for Ohio State.
Who’s Starting at QB for Ohio State This Week?
Day still hasn’t announced who is going to start at quarterback. He said on Tuesday that he’d need another day or two to make the decision clear.
There are two options: Luke Fahey and Tavien St. Clair.
Fahey is the player who came on in relief of Sayin against Indiana, but he didn’t actually make any real plays. Ohio State just had him try to manage the game to the finish line. Fahey is a three-star recruit from California.
St. Clair seemed more likely to be the backup this season but apparently was behind Fahey on the depth chart, at least for the IU game. He’s a five-star recruit in his second season on campus, and he’s from Bellefontaine, Ohio.
On paper, St. Clair feels like the risk-reward pick with upside, while maybe Fahey is safer but lacks upside — but it’s hard to really know until they get on the field for a big game. This weekend at USC will show the Buckeyes a lot.
All Sayin will be able to do is watch, and potentially serve as some wisdom for the new guy.
Ohio State Announces Official Julian Sayin Injury News For USC Game