It hasn’t been hard to find doubters of Luke Fahey.
The Ohio State true freshman quarterback, a three-star recruit, lost his first two starts for the Buckeyes after Julian Sayin went down with an injury. At a program that hardly ever loses in the regular season, those defeats were jarring, and they made it feel like the still-learning Fahey might never get a chance to fully grow into his own.
On Saturday in Columbus, though, Fahey grew up.
Northwestern was in town, but Ohio State won the game 28-19.
For Fahey, it was the first win of his Buckeyes career as a starter. And it was a bit of a dream come true.
Luke Fahey Postgame Comments
Fahey didn’t hold back his emotion in his postgame comments.
This is a guy who grew up in California as an Ohio State fan, because his family ties to the school actually go all the way back to 1898 — with generations since then being raised to root for the Buckeyes.
So when Fahey visited Ohio State and got an offer from Ryan Day to come play at OSU, it was already a dream day.
He surely never expected to be starting as a true freshman, and that has come with its own set of challenges.
But after his first career win, Fahey was sure honest about how it felt.
“It definitely feels good,” Fahey told reporters after the game. “I can’t even describe how I feel right now.”
Fahey then explained who he’d be calling after the win.
“Can’t wait to go see my mom and my dad, and get to call my grandparents as well because this is a moment we’ve kind of all dreamed about,” Fahey said.
Even if Ohio State fans don’t love Fahey at the moment, they have to respect that. For Fahey, it’s about more than himself. It’s about family to get Fahey to this point in his career, and to potentially keep him going.
Luke Fahey Future
In some ways, Luke Fahey is playing for his future.
It seems likely that Ohio State would at least bring in options this offseason at the most important position in sports.
Fahey is the only one with a head start for the Buckeyes, a chance to prove that he warrants a good, long look next summer — anyone coming in will initially start behind Fahey in terms of awareness of the offense.
That doesn’t mean Fahey will be QB1 next season, or even QB2.
But a win on Saturday will do Fahey a world of good. It gives him a chance to find another W.
Ohio State’s Luke Fahey Shares Heartfelt Feelings After Milestone Moment