Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin did well to avoid taking hits in his first season as a starter, primarily using his quick release to beat opposing pass rushes. He officially recorded 42 rushing attempts on the season, but that includes sacks.
With Ryan Day’s comments that Sayin needs to make more plays with his legs, thus potentially exposing the sophomore to more hits in 2026, it’s worth a reminder just how little game experience is on the OSU roster at the quarterback position behind Sayin in the wake
of Lincoln Kienholz’s departure through the transfer portal.
Tavien St. Clair and Maryland transfer Justyn Martin are battling for the backup position, and the duo combined to throw two passes in 2025 — both by St. Clair. The favorite to win the backup job is St. Clair, a highly prized recruit from Bellefontaine, Ohio, who was the No. 2 player at his position in his class.
St. Clair threw both of his 2025 passes against Grambling State, and he completed neither of them.
Martin, a senior from Inglewood, California, was part of Maryland’s quarterbacks room a year ago, but he was not one of the three quarterbacks to attempt a pass in 2025. He last threw a collegiate pass in 2024, when he was with UCLA. Martin completed 24 of 35 passes (68.6%) for 179 yards and one touchdown with the Bruins that year without an interception. Martin appeared in three games for UCLA in 2024, backing up starter Ethan Garbers.
From there, the experience level drops even more. Luke Fahey is a true freshman from Mission Viejo, California, who threw for more than 7,000 yards in high school, earning a four-star recruiting rating, with 247 Sports ranking him among the top 25 signal callers in the class. Fahey joined Ohio State in time for 2026 spring practice, getting his first snaps of college football.
Behind those four is Kolton Stover, a preferred walk-on and the cousin of former Buckeye Cade Stover and current Buckeye Garrett Stover. A Centerburg, Ohio native and Highland High product, the sophomore is unlikely to see the field.
If Sayin can avoid taking hits or getting injured in 2026, Ohio State will again feature one of the best quarterbacks in all of college football. If not, the backups will suddenly become far more important than anyone anticipated. Prize prospect St. Clair is the likely next man up, although for a short-term fix, such as seeing out a game, the Buckeyes could turn to the more experienced Martin.
What St. Clair lacks in experience, he makes up for in talent, but it’ll be up to Day, Offensive Coordinator Arthur Smith, and Quarterbacks Coach Billy Fessler to get the sophomore comfortable in the offense and up to game speed. The 6-foot-4, 230-pound St. Clair is obviously built much differently than Sayin.
St. Clair was a 2024 finalist for Ohio’s Mr. Football award who threw for more than 10,000 yards and 100 touchdowns in high school. He became an “official” Buckeye last October when he shed his black helmet stripe.
But Ohio State didn’t ask much of the three-time Central Buckeye Conference Offensive Player of the Year during his freshman campaign. With only the two pass attempts against Grambling State and no rushing attempts, St. Clair didn’t gain a lot of game experience in 2025. Buckeye fans will hope he gets a lot of mop-up duty in 2026 on the way to becoming a future starter.
However, with such a dearth of experience behind Sayin, those same fans will be hoping for a complete, healthy season out of the Buckeyes’ starter.
