Tavien St. Clair is a true freshman competing for Ohio State’s starting quarterback job. He’s eager to learn and be a part of the Buckeyes’ championship culture.
Columbus, OH – Tavien St. Clair’s Ohio State football education began on his visits to spring practice last year. He watched and learned.
He certainly didn’t have to drive an hour from Bellefontaine again and again, but he did. He didn’t have to stand on the sideline at every 2024 home game, but he did. He didn’t have to matriculate ahead of schedule in early January and practice with the team during its national title run, but he did.
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“I just wanted to come here and learn and soak up everything that I could from these coaches and these players,” St. Clair said. “They execute at the highest level.”
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St. Clair went home to Bellefontaine after observing those spring practices and executed his quarterback role at a high level for the Chieftains. His play on the field cemented his status as a five-star recruit and one of the highest rated players in the nation.
Now he’s in college, going to classes and going to quarterback school in a program known for taking raw recruits and developing them into NFL Draft picks. St. Clair grew up a Buckeyes fan, but he is here to be the main man behind center, whether that’s the 2025 season or a future season.
To become Ohio State’s starting quarterback, St. Clair knows one thing well. And that’s this: To lead an elite program at the highest level of college football, he must consistently take what he learns to the field. He learned a little bit about what is required and how it’s done last season by watching Will Howard. And he discovered there is much to learn.
Two days into spring practice he got one of his first reminders that high school doesn’t prepare you for everything. He learned to take snaps under center because those plays aren’t in the Bellefontaine playbook.
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“There’s little intricate details, even to just taking a snap under center, that I never knew were there because I’d never done it,” he said. “So learning that stuff and fine tuning everything that goes into being a great quarterback – it was definitely very eye opening.”
Because St. Clair immersed himself in the team last spring, this week doesn’t feel like the first day of school. He knows where the locker room is, he knows the protocols, he knows just about everything to expect. However, in his first practice as a real Buckeye, and competing for a job for the first time since his freshman year at Bellefontaine, he felt a little like kids do on that first day in a new school building.
Ohio State quarterback Tavien St. Clair was learning the ways of Ohio State football even during his time on the field (above) as a Bellefontaine Chieftain.
“The first time I took a snap with my group of offense on the field, it was like, this is actually happening now,” he said. “It’s not just a dream that I’m trying to make happen. It was a dream that I’m living now.”
Because St. Clair could be so close to the program last year, he saw how his new teammates and the ones who finished their eligibility lived that dream.
He learned more about what it means to be a Buckeye and how difficult it is to win a championship.
“Just being able to see what it’s like to persevere through the whole season that they went through and their story, and just to be able to knit together a brotherhood really, really showed last season,” St. Clair said. “That’s going to be super crucial for us in our future. We got to see it live. We know that’s the standard every year.”
After his second practice Wednesday, St. Clair said facing the lofty standards of being a Buckeye is everything he thought it would be. And he’s been busy learning.
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“Had plenty of meetings with quarterback coaches, had great counsel and great leadership from the older guys in the room and other players on the team as well, just getting wisdom from them,” he said. “I’m learning the culture and really trying to just enhance myself in it.”
St. Clair’s mindset is the same as his competitors, Julian Sayin and Lincoln Kienholz. The job is to translate what is taught in meetings to the field as quickly as possible to gain an advantage. But a quarterback’s time is not limited to meetings and practice.
Preparation for practices and meetings are part of every day. And he’s not alone. Quarterbacks coach Billy Fessler, the other quarterbacks and other offensive players gather every night to talk and do walk-throughs. Sometimes he has an individual meeting with Fessler before or after workouts.
“There’s something going on every single day just to build my development and really give me an advantage,” he said. “I’m just trying to learn everything I can and be the best possible player and person I can be when I’m on this team.”
Head coach Ryan Day said Monday that quarterbacks must learn the what, how and why of everything. Howard excelled at that by knowing every offensive player’s job on every play.
St. Clair saw Howard in action and appreciates the demand Day has for his quarterbacks.
“I have to understand why we’re doing things, what we are trying to do with it, and how we’re going to do it,” St. Clair said. “That’s still a learning thing for me. This is our second practice, so I’m really just trying to get better and amplify it and make it better, so that on Friday’s practice, I’m ready to go.”
Fessler said St. Clair’s extra time around the program is a bonus. But that time will only matter if St. Clair continues to learn and becomes consistent on the field. And he has time to do it. Fessler said he hasn’t thought about who will start the opener against Texas. It’s not even a topic of discussion right now among the coaches.
“He knows the amount of work that has to be put in to get to the point where he wants to be,” Fessler said. “And what I’m excited about Tavien is he’s committed to put that work in.”
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