Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day sounded adamant during his Tuesday press conference that Tavien St. Clair wasn't going to take a redshirt and sit out the majority of games during the upcoming 2026 College Football season.
Per Day on St. Clair, “Another year under his belt, more confident, has had some really good plays. He’s understanding how to run the offense, how to take care of the football. He’s still doing things for the first time...But he needs to play. And the more reps he gets, the better he’ll play.”
Of course, Julian Sayin will be starting this season, but depending on how it goes, this could be his final campaign in Columbus. The NFL could come calling if Sayin can replicate his success from last year under new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith.
Tavien St. Clair could end up being a better fit in Arthur Smith's offense than Julian Sayin
One hopes that St. Clair doesn't run out of chances with Ohio State like Lincoln Kienholz did. Kienholz was never destined to become a starter with the QB recruits Day had brought into the fold and transferred to the Louisville Cardinals this past January to likely become one under Jeff Brohm.
St. Clair is supposed to be "the guy" for the Buckeyes eventually. That was never Kienholz's destiny. That's the plan for St. Clair and has always been.
Most college quarterbacks don't have unlimited windows to cash out on their football careers, and, though the federal government is trying to limit how many transfers a given player has, there will still be one allowed without penalty. We know OSU QBs have high value on the open market.
St. Clair was the 2025 recruiting class's No. 3 QB recruit and No. 4 overall recruit. He'll have suitors, not limited to the Alabama Crimson Tide, LSU Tigers, and Indiana Hoosiers, which could all be looking for a top-flight starting QB next summer.
Keeping St. Clair happy in Scarlet and Gray is important because if he ever gets his shot, he may prove to be a better fit in Arthur Smith's offense than Sayin. St. Clair's athleticism and accuracy make him ideal for Smith's RPO-based offensive play-calling.
Let's hope Sayin is NFL-bound after this season, so St. Clair could be next on Day's QB conveyor belt and thrive in Smith's offense while he's still at the collegiate level. If Sayin is NFL-bound, then the 2026 season will have been a best-case scenario.