Ryan Day opens Ohio State QB competition — and the Buckeyes' title hopes may ride on his choice

Ohio StateWho will be Ohio State’s next starting QB? What Ryan Day said about the race to replace Julian SayinWill Luke Fahey start for Ohio State football against USC? Here's what Ryan Day said. AP Photo/Jay LaPreteBy Stefan Krajisnik, cleveland.comCOLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio State football has a plan in place for a season without Julian Sayin at quarterback. Part of that strategy includes a competition for the starting job — one between freshman Luke Fahey, the favorite to earn the nod, and sophomore Tavien St. Clair.The open date this week before a trip to USC on Oct. 31 allows the Buckeyes to operate this way, coach Ryan Day said Tuesday at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center, where he also announced that Sayin will be out “indefinitely.”“If this wasn’t a bye week, we’d have to roll right now — kind of like in-game you’ve got to make a decision,” Day said. “Luke went in the game (at Indiana), and we were rolling. “This gives us a couple days to sort of get some reps and just come up for air just a little bit. We’re going to have to get this thing organized quickly. Both guys will get some reps with the 1s this week, and we’ll kind of evaluate it from there.”Ohio State’s quarterback problem goes much deeper than Julian Sayin’s injury: Stephen MeansOhio State football freshman earns national award after win at Indiana: Buckeye BreakfastWhat Ryan Day said about Julian Sayin, Luke Fahey and Ohio State’s plans at quarterback: Buckeye Talk podcastJulian Sayin injury: Ryan Day provides update on Ohio State football starting quarterbackSt. Clair signed with Ohio State as a five-star prospect in the 2025 recruiting class. He served as the third-string quarterback last year, sitting behind Sayin and Lincoln Kienholz.When Sayin returned for his junior season and Kienholz transferred to Louisville in January, a path cleared for St. Clair to earn the backup role. Flashes of promise in Ohio State’s spring game seemed to solidify his standing in the room.However, things changed as the season approached.Fahey started to garner attention in preseason camp, often drawing praise from Day at press conferences. The eighth-year coach hesitated to name a backup quarterback going into Ohio State’s season opener against Ball State, but Fahey was the first player under center in relief of Sayin.He was the first quarterback off the bench again in wins against Kent State and Maryland. While there was some surprise in the preseason to see Fahey pushing for the backup job, there was little uncertainty about who would replace Sayin by the time he was injured in last week’s win at Indiana.Defensive tackle Mario Landino hit Sayin in the fourth quarter, knocking him out of the game. Fahey stepped in, playing 10 offensive snaps and helping close out a ranked victory. Day spoke highly of the freshman postgame and continued praising him Tuesday.“He’s an extremely hard worker,” Day said. “He puts a lot of hours in. He’s extremely competitive. He has a moxie about him. He has a competitiveness about him. “We’re always looking for quarterbacks who are just obsessed with being great. I think when you get around Luke, you can quickly see how important it is to him.”Ohio State sophomore Tavien St. Clair is competing for the starting QB job. AP Photo/Jay LaPreteBut Day isn’t counting St. Clair out yet. Ohio State isn’t just looking to patch together a plan for a finite number of games until Sayin returns. The Buckeyes are instead moving forward with little hope about Sayin coming back, meaning they need to identify their best course of action for winning a national championship this season.Perhaps an opportunity could spark something in the Bellefontaine, Ohio, native. At the least, he’s a snap away from the starting role being thrust upon him.“This is a challenge for both Luke and Tavien to step up in a big way,” Day said. “The plan when both those guys came here was to play, and here they are.”Offensive coordinator Arthur Smith is part of the taskforce building an offense capable of competing without its starting quarterback. In doing so, he’s working with backup options far less developed than what he’s accustomed to. His track record of quarterbacks in the NFL includes the likes of Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson, Matt Ryan and Ryan Tannehill. Even when he has worked with younger players — such as Desmond Ridder, who Smith used as an example to push back on the notion that he hasn’t worked with many inexperienced quarterbacks — none were quite as inexperienced as a college freshman.Identifying which scheme best suits his new starting quarterback, whether its Fahey or St. Clair, is of utmost importance. He’s been gifted an extra week to do that — the only silver lining to losing Sayin. “There’s a lot that goes with it, as you know, the quarterback position,” Day said. “It’s obviously a big decision. We’ll take a lot of input, but ultimately, I’ll make the final decision as we head into next week.”Ohio State football beat writer