Doubt erased. On a rainy, overcast day in Ohio Stadium, Tavien St. Clair made things abundantly clear. If called upon, he can command these Buckeyes in a time of need, with the confidence that another year of understudy and development under Ryan Day brings. (Press Pros Feature Photos by Brian Bayless)
Julian Sayin is Ohio State’s unquestioned starting quarterback, but Tavien St. Clair answered an important question in Saturday’s spring game. He has matured enough and has the talent to step in well if needed.
Columbus, OH – The most important potential quarterback controversy to head off in April of 2026 was who’s the backup quarterback.
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The second most important was for Ohio State head coach Ryan Day to finally have a trustworthy No. 2 ready at a moment’s notice. And the third, if you choose to look that far ahead, was who will be the quarterback in 2027.
The answer, from all flashy appearances during Saturday’s spring game, is Tavien St. Clair. As media members awaited Day’s postgame appearance, a clear St. Clair buzz permeated the room.
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St. Clair is a redshirt freshman and five-star recruit from Bellefontaine who just completed his second spring practice, so he has plenty of improvements to make. But he showed 40,240 fans in the Horseshoe and those watching on Big 10 Network that he’s talented enough whenever his time comes.
“We all can see the talent,” Day said. “That’s why he was recruited here.”
St. Clair showed what football people want – and fans demand – from all quarterbacks. He threw the ball down field for big plays.
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The evidence for your consideration.
Chris Henry Jr., celebrates with tight end Hunter Welching after scoring a touchdown on a 40-yard pass from Tavien St. Clair that saw Henry spin into the end zone.
St. Clair connected in stride with true freshman wideout Chris Henry Jr. on a deep out at the sideline for 34 yards. He found Henry Jr. again in stride at the goal line for a 40-yard touchdown. A preview of the 2027 offense, perhaps.
“He threw some really nice balls down the field, and then obviously missed some as well,” Day said, balancing praise with reminders the maturing St. Clair is still growing. “Some of the drives got stymied, but that’s part of it. He’s got to learn from those things and continue to grow. He’s been showing up every day with a good attitude, and that’s important.”
Day says one thing every year about the quarterback room: They will all be needed. But that hasn’t been true to much extent. And when it has been true, the clear picture is that none of them were truly ready to take over. Not Devin Brown, not Lincoln Kienholz.
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Not since J.T. Barrett, Cardale Jones and Dwayne Haskins has a backup quarterback proven to be ready to lead the offense. But St. Clair displayed potential Saturday that no one since Haskins has matched.
Julian Sayin’ responded to criticism after last season that he needed to run more, scampering more often when pressured. One run resulted in a TD during the first half.
Coaches hate turnovers to a paranoia level, but they also want quarterbacks with enough confidence to push the ball down field, not always waiting until someone is wide open. St. Clair showed that Saturday. He made a couple bad throws/decisions that were almost intercepted. But those are correctable errors.
But the arm talent (plus a 6-foot-4 frame and ability to run)? Quarterbacks either have a super-strong arm like St. Clair or they don’t.
As much good as Barrett did for the Ohio State offense, the complaint was always an unwillingness to play with at least a little risk and take downfield shots. He much preferred open windows to receivers, not tight ones.
Jones liked to sling the ball downfield. Haskins did too, throwing like he believed he would complete 100%. C.J. Stroud was a lot like Haskins. Justin Fields and Kyle McCord had good downfield moments, even if they hesitated at times or just took too long waiting for that perfect window. Will Howard made a lot of big throws down field on the way to a national championship.
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Julian Sayin, a clear Ohio State starter in the spring for the first time since Stroud’s second season, isn’t afraid to let one rip for a big gain either, even if he missed seeing some open receivers deep last year. He looked less afraid to make a mistake Saturday and more confident to make a quick decision and throw into tighter coverage.
There were other moments of excitement that came out of OSU’s stable of quarterbacks including this 61-yard TD run by freshman Luke Fahey.
A backup quarterback that no one is afraid to see play – and many will want to see play – is a positive development for the Ohio State offense. Especially because St. Clair looked good on a bounce-back day after not having a great practice Friday and hearing about it on the field from Day.
Day, of course, is demanding of his quarterbacks. He expects them – especially in their second year as a starter as Sayin is – to be a star, be a leader and go win a game. He knows in a 12-game season against a difficult schedule and a potential playoff run that St. Clair might have to perform when the team needs a clutch performance or two.
So he pushes hard. As he should.
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“Being quarterback at Ohio State is not easy,” Day said. “He’s got to continue to grind to learn how to run the offense at a high level because he’s going to be an important part of this team. You need to build depth at every position, and we all know how important quarterback is.”
Saturday also saw the debut of placekicker Connor Hawkins, who hopes to reinforce the Buckeyes’ much maligned offensive kicking game that has collapsed under pressure in critical moments. He made two field goals.
Sayin, rarely one to delve deeply into explanations, gave a canned-like answer when asked about St. Clair. But he said it with conviction and a smile.
“He’s done a good job this spring of developing and taking that next step,” Sayin said.
Quarterbacks like Sayin are most often injured in the pocket by big men knocking them down and falling on them. But the need for a trusted backup feels more necessary when Sayin is being encouraged to run more.
Day clearly didn’t have an adequate backup option when Fields got hit hard in a playoff game against Clemson. Buckeyes around the world held their breath every time Fields got hit. And Day clearly didn’t have backup confidence when Howard wasn’t himself after a head-rattling hit in the 2024 Michigan loss. Howard finished a game he shouldn’t have.
Sayin admitted after the Cotton Bowl loss to Miami that he didn’t run at opportune times and took too many sacks. He has plenty of QB smarts, but when to problem solve – to run or not to run – is something he went to school on this spring, will continue to study in the summer and will face a final exam of in August practice. If he passes, expect Sayin to scramble for key first downs.
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On Saturday, the injury-plagued offensive line gave Sayin several reasons to venture beyond the line of scrimmage. He looked comfortable doing it even if a couple times he would have been advised to make the decision a second sooner.
“Having the pocket presence, having the internal clock in your head of when to escape, and when do we need to extend plays with our legs,” Sayin said in summing up the decisions he must make when pressure comes.
Jeremiah Smith saw just a few snaps on Saturday, but his talent did not need testing. Combined with freshman phenom Chris Henry Jr., this duo will create plenty of indigestion for defensive coordinators.
A quarterback who can run for first downs and touchdowns in the red zone is what Day calls an X factor. He’s had the X before with Barrett, Fields and Howard.
“You can see that he’s aware of that and looking to do some of that,” Day said. “He’s moved well this spring, but certainly it’s a lot different when you’re live. That’s going to be the challenge for him all summer, to continue to work on pocket presence and then making plays with his legs.”
Sayin instilled confidence on fourth-and-goal from the four on the left hashmark when he didn’t see an open receiver. Instead of waiting too long and being sacked in the pocket or chased down running in desperation, his timing was perfect and he took off for the right pylon.
He crossed the goal line untouched, but only because no one is permitted to tackle QBs in April. Linebacker Christian Alliegro (the assumed replacement for Arvell Reese at outside linebacker) came off a block and was in position to hit Sayin hard at the one.
How would that have gone for Sayin?
“One hundred percent I’m scoring,” he said without hesitation. “As a quarterback there’s gonna be moments where you have to drop your shoulder and go get the first down, go get a touchdown for the team. And that’s part of being a tough leader.”
And a good reason Tavien St. Clair is on the team.
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