The Ohio State Buckeyes need a new quarterback for Saturday’s game at USC.
Julian Sayin was injured in his last appearance, at Indiana on Oct. 17, and after a bye week, the Buckeyes face a decision.
Luke Fahey is the guy who relieved Sayin against the Hoosiers.
Tavin St. Clair is the more high-profile backup, having been a five-star recruit from Bellefontaine, Ohio.
One is going to get the ball against the Trojans, and Ohio State’s season could depend on getting this call right.
On Monday, Ohio State head coach Ryan Day gave an update. The problem is it wasn’t that helpful to the fanbase to know what’s going on.
Ohio State QB Decision
Day didn’t share who’s going to start this week during his Monday media appearance.
There’s no way to know whether a decision hasn’t been made at all, or if the Buckeyes just don’t want the Trojans to know what their plan is.
This is what Day had to say:
Ryan Day did not name a starting quarterback for Saturday’s game against USC during his appearance on tonight’s Buckeye Roundtable show.
Asked about Luke Fahey, Day said he thought “this past week was a good opportunity for both he and Tavien to get work.”
“I feel like both guys have embraced it,” Day said.
— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) October 26, 2026
The timing of the bye week was nice for Ohio State, which at least got a longer runway to consider what the plan is here, and to get a lot of reps for both players before having to totally commit to one.
Another Possibility
The Buckeyes have never really been a two-QB team, and it’s rare that college football teams have made that work, but it’s something Ohio State could consider.
They could at the very least try to give Fahey and St. Clair both work at some point against USC, which might inform a future decision further than just practice reps.
Fahey is a bit more of an athlete, while St. Clair has the big arm. They would be a somewhat intriguing pairing in a rotational system.
Of course, the famous line goes that if you have two quarterbacks, you really have none. Ohio State probably just needs to find the right one.
Just don’t be surprised if this is a back-and-forth setup for a while, even from one week to the next, until the Buckeyes figure this out for sure. Whatever it takes to get it right, they’ll have to do, because national championship aspirations don’t leave Columbus just because Sayin got hurt.
Ohio State Starting QB Decision Updated by Ryan Day