Luke Fahey has put himself in the mix with Tavien St. Clair to be Ohio State’s backup quarterback this year.
“He’s really been going a great job,” Buckeyes coach Ryan Day said. “He’s putting a lot of pressure on Tavien. He really is. He’s been competing. He’s been making plays.”
There had been little intrigue over the depth chart at the position before Fahey’s emergence during preseason training camp.
Not only did the Buckeyes return Heisman Trophy finalist Julian Sayin as their starting quarterback, but St. Clair was presumed to be moving up a spot after he spent last year at No. 3 and stood out during the spring game in April.
St. Clair, a native of Bellefontaine who was the first Ohio high school quarterback since Joe Burrow to sign a scholarship agreement with Ohio State, was also a highly billed five-star prospect.
Fahey lacked a similar recruiting pedigree as a three-star from Southern California, according to 247Sports' final composite rankings for 2026, but he has made a smooth transition into the program as a freshman this year, including losing his black stripe following the Buckeyes’ first preseason intrasquad scrimmage on Aug. 15.
Only three other freshmen — wide receivers Brock Boyd and Chris Henry Jr. and safety Jay Timmons — have reached the milestone with the Buckeyes this offseason.
When asked about the emerging backup quarterback competition, Day spoke almost exclusively about the development of Fahey.
“That's been exciting,” Day said, “to see him come in with a certain work ethic, run the offense at a pretty high level. We’ll kind of see how the rest of the camp plays out, but it’s good to see him step and push Tavien.”
St. Clair appeared in only one game last year, leading Ohio State’s final two series of a rout of Grambling State in September. His two pass attempts were incomplete.
Joey Kaufman covers Ohio State football for The Columbus Dispatch. Email him at jkaufman@dispatch.com and follow him on @joeyrkaufman on X.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Luke Fahey pushing Tavien St. Clair for Ohio State football's backup QB job