3. Tavien St. Clair
The number two recruit in the country in the 2025 recruiting class is Tavien St. Clair. Besides St. Clair being a five-star recruit, he's an Ohio native. Having him remain a Buckeye is imperative to the success of the future of this program. He also plays the most important position on the field.
If the Buckeyes end up getting a new coach, St. Clair needs to be someone that they make sure they keep. He's a really good quarterback who is a future starter of the program. He's good enough that he has a chance to start next season as a true freshman.
St. Clair gets the nod in this list because of the fact that he is a five-star incoming freshman. His age and his potential means that a new coach must hold onto him. The good news is that since he's an Ohio native, he would be much less likely to enter the portal than some others on the roster.
Ohio State has been known for its quarterback play under Ryan Day. That notion has dissipated over the last couple of years, though. If Day goes away, St. Clair could be the guy who leads the Buckeyes into the post-Day era. He needs to be the face of the program.
It would be shocking to see if any of these players entered the portal if Day came back. St. Clair can't enter the portal if that happens. Ohio State still needs to prepare a plan to keep all three of these guys if Day ends up getting a pink slip.