Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Tavien St. Clair is the program's signal-caller-in-waiting. St. Clair might not be waiting for long to get his shot under center as the team's QB1 and locker room leader, however.
Per A to Z Sports' Brandon Little, "We’re going to get an extended look at the passing game on Saturday with four running backs banged up. I’ll be keeping an eye on the backup quarterback and former five-star recruit St. Clair. Ohio State was lucky to have St. Clair right in Ohio, and it didn’t take much to land one of the best signal callers in the class of 2025. St. Clair was the No. 3 quarterback last season and played in just one game with two passing attempts. St. Clair is the future starting quarterback in Columbus after the 2026 season, and he’s a play away from playing now. The redshirt freshman looks the part physically of a future pro at 6-foot-4 and 230 pounds. A positive showing would excite the fanbase."
St. Clair ascending to the starting spot means Julian Sayin is on a one-way track to the NFL, if everything goes according to plan. The alternative to that, Sayin not developing quickly enough and needing one more year, probably isn't on Ryan Day's radar right now.
If it ever got onto it, though, Day would have a program-defining choice on his hands.
Would Ryan Day start Julian Sayin over Tavien St. Clair again in 2027?
St. Clair is the long-term plan, to the point that throwing him into the fire early in the event of a short-term Sayin injury wouldn't be the plan in 2026. Instead, Maryland Terrapins transfer Justyn Martin would likely be deployed.
Of course, a long-term injury to Sayin is a different story. St. Clair would get his opportunity if Sayin were ever out for more than a one- or two-week period. Then, the question would be: can Sayin get it back?
Ohio State isn't far from a Jalen Hurts-Tua Tagovailoa controversy. It all depends on Sayin's health and development in 2026.
Add us as a preferred source on Google