The Ohio State Buckeyes are in the most pivotal stretch of their season, and they’re doing it without starting quarterback Julian Sayin.
The star QB was hurt on Oct. 17 against Indiana. The Buckeyes then had a bye week before Sayin missed his first game on Halloween against USC, a 30-18 OSU loss.
Luke Fahey, a three-star true freshman from Mission Viejo High School in California, is starting in Sayin’s place. Fahey has gotten the nod over Tavien St. Clair, the former five-star recruit from Bellefontaine, Ohio.
Fahey couldn’t help Ohio State beat the Trojans, but the Buckeyes can’t afford another slip-up. They came in at No. 12 in the first College Football Playoff rankings, and already with two losses, another defeat likely spells doom.
Saturday brings Ohio State back home, which is the good news. The bad news is that an on-the-rise Oregon team, quarterbacked by former Nebraska QB Dylan Raiola, is in town. The Ducks won’t be an easy foe.
And all Sayin can do is watch.
When is Julian Sayin Coming Back?
It doesn’t sound like Sayin will be back at any point in the remainder of the regular season, based on comments head coach Ryan Day made this week.
Day spoke with reporters on Thursday and gave a brutal update on Sayin’s potential to return from injury soon.
“It’s not going to be next week, or next month – it’s going to take some time here, but I think certainly for the long term, we feel like we’re on a good track here,” Day said.
It was already November when Day said that, so is he saying it won’t even be December? Ouch.
The Buckeyes close the regular season on Nov. 28 against Michigan. The CFP does carry into January, but you have to win earlier to get there, too.
Is Julian Sayin Out for the Season?
It sounds like Sayin’s season could be over, although no one has officially said that yet.
The fact that Day is saying that it won’t be “next month” suggests this is a long-term absence for Sayin.
It’s known to be an injury to his right (throwing) arm because of the sling he has had on, but it’s not clear beyond that what Sayin did exactly.
Ohio State seems to be without him, though, and so the fate of their season rests in Fahey’s hands.
When is Julian Sayin Coming Back? Injury Return Timeline for Ohio State QB