Ohio State outlasted the Indiana Hoosiers in a top-five matchup last Saturday, but it came at the expense of losing starting quarterback and Heisman finalist last year, Julian Sayin. The California native was knocked out of the game in the fourth quarter on a hard hit that bent and pinned his throwing arm against his body, and he came out of the locker room in a sling.
Head coach Ryan Day said that Sayin will be out for "several weeks," and that means the Ohio State coaching staff will have to come up with a plan to get this team through those games coming up to still be in the running for the Big Ten championship and College Football Playoff.
That plan, presumably, will involve backup quarterback Luke Fahey. In case anyone wondered, Fahey getting
time ahead of Tavien St. Clair in the first few games wasn't just window dressing, because when the chips were down, and the coaching staff had to go with the quarterback that gave the Buckeyes a chance to finish the game in Bloomington, it was Fahey again off the bench, and not St. Clair.
So, knowing that Fahey is most likely the guy who's going to start while Sayin is shelved, we thought we'd give you some information to know more about him. Here's everything (almost) you need to know about backup Ohio State quarterback Luke Fahey.
Fahey is very young and just a true freshman at Ohio State
A good review:
— Daniel Levy (@DrDanLevy) October 20, 2026
Ohio State Has a BIZARRE QB Commit For 2026 (Meet Luke Fahey) https://t.co/dMOLFhyyc2 via @YouTube
Fahey was the only quarterback who committed in the 2026 class, and when it happened, it was a bit of an afterthought. After all, the Buckeyes had Julian Sayin and others on the roster who were thought to be ahead of him in the pecking order. But Fahey has shown enough to work his way up the depth chart and is now the backup quarterback as a true freshman.
He is in his first year in the program and is presumably still learning the culture, playbook, teammates, and where to get lunch on campus. And now, as a 19-year-old, he'll be under center for Ohio State in the midst of a Big Ten and College Football Playoff run.
Fahey is undersized
Luke Fahey is now down to 5’4” according to OSU fans 😂 pic.twitter.com/d1JEA8ToCT
— Billy Beebe (@ThirdBeebe) October 18, 2026
While having height to be able to see over the pass rush is still preferred, we've seen more and more quarterbacks, even in the NFL, start to make a name for themselves as smaller in stature. Drew Brees kind of broke that mold, and now we've seen others like Kyler Murray and Baker Mayfield perform well despite being around 6 feet or under. Enter Luke Fahey
Fahey is listed as just 5-feet, 1-inch, and you could tell when turning on the game film from last Saturday when he came in for the injured Sayin. While some may say that's a big disadvantage, we have to remember that Sayin wasn't terribly tall either. Still, Fahey will need to move in the pocket and find passing lanes to be able to get to open receivers.
Ohio State got Fahey as a pretty unheralded prospect
Fahey is the kid Ohio State historically never recruits, becomes an all American and then Ohio State fans ask why we don’t recruit players like him. Coaches gotta help him be successful but I love the upside here. https://t.co/OThYuk2tL6
— BuckeyeFaithful (@Z_Troshi) October 19, 2026
We've seen plenty of four- and five-star prospects commit and play for Ohio State under Ryan Day. From Justin Fields to C.J. Stroud to Kyle McCord to Julian Sayin, all were some of the top quarterbacks in their recruiting classes. Not Fahey. He was listed as a three-star prospect when the Buckeyes got his commitment, and checked in as the No. 35 quarterback in the class and the 586th overall prospect in the 2026 class.
The fact that he has already grabbed the attention of the coaches is quite remarkable, and you have to give Ryan Day and staff credit for their ability to evaluate Fahey. Even if he doesn't end up being an NFL draft pick per se, the fact that he is already the backup quarterback is quite remarkable in such a short period of time.
Fahey beat out 5-star prospect Tavien St. Clair in Ohio state camp
Tavien St Clair is the only option. Play him!! https://t.co/9wbJdoKHOC
— Quarter till Midnight Marauder (@OrionPaxon) October 18, 2026
It's going to be interesting to watch what happens in the quarterback room going forward. Tavien-St. Clair was expected to be the starting quarterback in waiting behind Sayin. He's an Ohio native, was a five-star prospect in the 2025 class, and rated as the No. 3 quarterback and seventh overall prospect in the recruiting cycle.
When Fahey was the first one off the bench to spell Sayin during junk time against some of the blowout wins, eyebrows raised, and now we know that it's legit. There's just something about Fahey to where he has surpassed the guy with the measurables, arm talent, and reputation. That has to bode well for what we might see going forward, no?
Ohio State got Fahey from a famed California high school program
Luke Fahey’s first collegiate start could come at the L.A. Memorial Coliseum — just 45 minutes from his hometown of Mission Viejo. 👀
— The Buckeye Nut (@TheBuckeyeNut) October 19, 2026
With Julian Sayin sidelined, can the freshman step up and keep Ohio State’s championship hopes alive? pic.twitter.com/egv5duXPkf
He may not have been a heralded recruit, but Fahey's stats were pretty remarkable at one of the best high school programs in the country, Mission Viejo High School in California. Sometimes, you trust the training and pedigree of a guy when he comes out of one of the best prep programs in the country because you know the coaching was where it needed to be.
In fact, Fahey threw for 3,199 yards, 25 touchdowns, and just three interceptions during his senior campaign. Those are some pretty gaudy numbers, and there has to be a reason for that. Sure, the talent level he was going against isn't what he's gonna see in the Big Ten and beyond, but the talent is there. Fahey, in fact, set a school record with 569 passing yards in a win over Los Alamitos last season.
Fahey grew up an Ohio State fan
A year ago, Luke Fahey was still sitting in high school classrooms, daydreaming about one day simply putting on the scarlet and gray for Ohio State.
— AzBuckGuy (@AzBuckGuy) October 19, 2026
He almost certainly never pictured himself lining up as the starter as a true freshman.
Yet here we are.
The Mission Viejo kid… pic.twitter.com/IY5vaHnNDq
So, how does a guy go from California to the cold of the Midwest? Sure, there's success in the Ohio State program of having Heisman Finalists as quarterbacks, but it's more than that. Fahey was actually a lifelong Buckeye fan, and committing was a dream of his. Fahey went on an official visit to Ohio State uncommitted, and when he was offered a scholarship a couple of weeks later, he jumped at the chance.
So how did he become an Ohio State fan? His parents met at OSU and moved out to California, so he grew up watching and cheering for the Scarlet and Gray. Now he can still be a fan, but one that's actually helping the Buckeyes win while under center for the best college football program of all time.
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This article originally appeared on Buckeyes Wire: Everything you need to know Ohio State quarterback about Luke Fahey
