Ohio State has a quarterback to name before its Halloween night trip to USC, and Ryan Day discussed the two candidates on Monday during an appearance on 97.1 The Fan in Columbus. The Buckeyes used their bye week to give both of them a version of practice neither had seen much of this season.
Julian Sayin is out indefinitely with a right throwing-arm injury suffered in the 19-15 win over Indiana on Oct. 17. Freshman Luke Fahey finished that game, and sophomore Tavien St. Clair is the other option.
Day called the open week a “good opportunity” for both quarterbacks
“I feel like both guys have embraced it, and I think it’s different when you’re getting reps with the ones as opposed to the twos and threes,” Day said.
He did not name a starter, even though the timeline Day set after the Indiana game pointed to this week. At that point, he also said Fahey had the edge and praised the freshman’s preparation.
“I think going into the last few games, Luke’s been ahead of Tavien in terms of what we’ve seen,” Day said on Oct. 20, adding, “I’ll make the final decision as we head into next week.”
“He’s an extremely hard worker. He puts a lot of hours in. He’s extremely competitive,” Day said of Fahey that day.
Ryan Day on 97.1 The Fan said the bye week was a “good opportunity” for Luke Fahey and Tavien St. Clair.
“I feel like both guys have embraced it, and I think it’s different when you’re getting reps with the ones as opposed to the twos and threes.”
Didn’t name the starter yet.
— Lyle Alenstein (@LAlenstein) October 26, 2026
Who starts for Ohio State at USC?
Next week has arrived, and Day’s own description of the bye explains why the race may be tighter than it looked. The edge he gave Fahey came from what the staff saw with the second and third units. The bye week put both players with the starters, and Day said that is a different evaluation.
Before Indiana, Fahey had gone 9 of 11 for 203 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions in mop-up work against Ball State and Kent State. St. Clair had thrown seven passes all season, completing five for 52 yards and a touchdown against Ball State and throwing an interception on his only attempt against Kent State, which leaves practice as the deciding evidence.
St. Clair arrived as a consensus five-star and the No. 3 quarterback in the 2025 class, while Fahey was a high three-star prospect who won the backup job in preseason camp. Day has said he will play whoever “gives us the best chance to win,” and his comments on Monday kept both names tied to that standard.
Whoever Day picks will be chasing a win Ohio State has not had in decades. The Buckeyes have not won a regular-season game at USC since Oct. 5, 1946, and kickoff at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum is set for 7:30 p.m. ET Saturday on NBC. Ohio State’s only loss this season came at Texas in Week 2.
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