This most definitely was not what many people were expecting during the Ohio State vs. Ball State throttling. In the second half, after Julian Sayin tossed for 320 yards and three touchdowns, it was Luke Fahey who led the offense out onto the field when Sayin's day was over. What, not Tavien St. Clair? Yeah, you're not alone if you're still surprised.
St. Clair and Fahey had been in a battle for the backup quarterback job throughout fall camp. Day wasn't tipping his hand either way, making us all wait for the season-opener to see what the pecking order was. Well, Fahey getting the nod first over St. Clair was telling, and it's only going to lead to even more questions moving forward.
Luke Fahey BEFORE Tavien St. Clair is NEWS.
— RJ Young (@RJ_Young) September 5, 2026
Ryan Day still wants to see more in the competition between Luke Fahey and Tavien St. Clair
On paper, you would have assumed that St. Clair would have been the QB2 vs. Ball State, right? St. Clair was a 5-star playmaker out of the 2025 class, ranked the No. 3 QB in the country and No. 4 player overall per 247Sports. He also saw limited action last year as a true freshman.
For this season, he's got a full extra year of experience with Ohio State under his belt compared to Fahey, who is a true freshman. Still, it was Fahey who got the nod first, throwing for 62 yards, one touchdown, and an interception, though Chris Henry Jr. was at fault for that INT. St. Clair also had a TD, adding 52 passing yards as well.
“I thought they both came in and played well,” Day said in his postgame presser. “We were hoping to split the series with them, and that’s what happened. I think we were able to get a sample size and go from there and see where that goes. We decided to put Luke in there first, but we’ll continue to evaluate them and let those guys work to continue to get better.”
Day didn't give much of a hint on which way he was leaning with his postgame comments, but for now it seems like Fahey is his QB2, though nothing appears to be set in stone there. However, if something happens to Sayin in Austin next week, Fahey may be the one who takes the field first, unless there's a change that arrives in the coming days.
Regardless, this battle is going to be one to watch moving forward, as it could have major implications for next season too. If Fahey ends up being QB2 for the whole season, it would no question open the door for St. Clair to potentially pack his bags and leave via the transfer portal. It's obviously too soon to start thinking about that happening, but the way things play out from now until the end of the campaign will no question determine whether or not the former 5-star prospect has a future in Columbus or not.
Add us as a preferred source on Google