The Ohio State Buckeyes are just days away from kicking off the college football season against Ball State. Ohio State has their starting quarterback in Julian Sayin.
Things are less clear behind Sayin on the Buckeyes quarterback depth chart. Ohio State head coach Ryan Day revealed that the team plans to split the backup reps between quarterbacks Tavien St. Clair and Luke Fahey in the upcoming practices ahead of the Ball State game.
Day is hoping to play both St. Clair and Fahey in the Buckeyes opener against Ball State on Saturday, September 5. For this to work, Ohio State likely needs to build an extensive lead against Ball State.
Ohio State is a massive 50.5-point favorite versus Ball State in the college football odds, per FanDuel.
“We’re going to let those guys continue to split reps with the twos this week and see how the week goes,” Day told reporters on September 1.
“And if we can get them both reps in the game, we’ll try to do that. We’ll just kind of see how the game goes.”
Here’s what you need to know about the latest Ohio State news.
Ohio State Football News: The Buckeyes Plan to Play 3 Quarterbacks vs. Ball State
St. Clair is a former five-star recruit in the 2025 class. Smart money is on St. Clair winning the backup quarterback gig, but Fahey appears to have had a strong camp.
The pressure is on Ohio State to find the team’s quarterback of the future. Sayin is a potential threat to leave the Buckeyes for the 2027 NFL draft.
Heading into the offseason, Day challenged St. Clair to take the next step in his development to be able to serve as Sayin’s backup.
“And then Tavien is someone that really has to step up for us,” Day said in February, per 247Sports. “He’s going to have to be right there behind Julian and be ready to go. The schedule that we’re playing next year, as you guys know, you’ve seen what it looks like.
“And so, Tavien’s got to really take the next step. We’ve seen the talent. We know that he can throw it. He’s big and strong and all those things,” Day continued.
“So, this offseason will be critical for him.”
Ohio State HC Ryan Day on What to Expect From Ball State: ‘I’m Not Sure’
As for what to expect in the Week 1 matchup, Day admitted that it is a challenge knowing what teams will look like as a result of the roster turnover via the transfer portal. The one thing that is a certainty is Ohio State is viewed as a massive favorite.
“Well, I think you saw this in Week 0,” Day noted. “A lot of teams are different. So when you say, what do you know about this team? I’m sure (Ball State coach Mike Uremovich) would say that he doesn’t know about the team.
“Just like I don’t know about our team yet. We haven’t played a game. There’s a lot of new faces over there,” Day continued.
“… So are they going to continue to do what they do? I’m not sure. We’ll have to figure that out on Saturday. But certainly have respect for their coaching staff and their program. And then we’ll kind of see once we get on the field.”
Ohio State Announces Quarterback News 4 Days Before College Football Season Starts