The Ohio State Spring Game was a moderate success. While battling the weather, the Gray team (defense) took down the Scarlet team (offense), 35-26. Overall, the defense looked good, as expected. The defensive line harassed the offensive line, especially regarding the two backup tackles stepping in on the first team.
At the same time, there were plenty of impressive plays from the Buckeye quarterbacks. Julian Sayin started off the game and finished with 82 yards and an interception while completing eight of 15 passes. Sayin did have a touchdown to Jeremiah Smith that was whistled dead, so you can’t hold that against him. He even pulled it down and ran it in for a touchdown! That one interception was tipped at the line, of course. However, it was the number-two quarterback who made some waves.
The Future of the Ohio State Quarterback Position is in Good Hands
Tavien St. Clair redshirted last year and only appeared in one game (vs. Grambling State), resulting in two incomplete passes. He had a lot of growing to do to get to the level of quarterback you’d expect to suit up for the scarlet and gray. On Saturday, St. Clair flashed, but also showed things he needed to work on. In total, he attempted 21 passes and completed just nine. Of those nine, however, he amassed 166 yards and one touchdown.
He showed the confidence you’d want out of an Ohio State quarterback, but there were some misses due to it. The touchdown was a perfect Cover 2 beater to Chris Henry Jr. with perfect touch.
St. Clair is not afraid to uncork it. Of his 21 pass attempts, 18 went further than 10 yards. Of those, five soared over 20 yards with three completions, good for 112 yards and one touchdown.
He showed the poise, accuracy, and effortless arm strength, despite completing less than 50% of his passes. A number of his incompletions were throwaways, and one was a drop, so altogether, he showed that steps have been taken.
No Quarterback Controversy
There is a swathe of individuals within the Lunatic Fringe™ who have taken to social media to say St. Clair should be the starting quarterback. Or, at the very least, there should be a real competition.
In the words of Michael Jordan, “Stop it. Get help.”
St. Clair could likely be the starting quarterback at a number of schools. He just so happens to be sitting behind a quarterback who finished fourth in Heisman Trophy voting in his first collegiate season.
If Sayin adds a little scrambling to his repertoire, he evolves into a completely different quarterback. Ohio State may have a Dwayne Haskins or Joe Burrow sitting behind J.T. Barrett kind of situation, but there was no timeline in which the Buckeyes were going to bench Barrett. It’s the same in 2026.
Sayin is QB1. St. Clair is a high-end QB2. If he is as good as he’s supposed to be, Ohio State should be planning on trying to retain St. Clair with NIL for 2028 instead of being a one-and-done after lighting it up in 2027 (assuming Sayin declares after this year).
Day’s Praise
After the Spring Game, head coach Ryan Day spoke on St. Clair and his development to this point.
“Well, being a quarterback at Ohio State is not easy, as you know. And he’s battling every day. I think you can see the talent, for sure, threw some really nice balls down the field. And then, obviously, missed some as well. And some of the drives got stymied, but that’s part of it. And he’s got to learn from those things and continue to grow.”
Day continued, praising St. Clair’s work ethic and “next man up” preparation. He’s been showing up every day with a good attitude, and that’s important. So I think we all can see the talent. That’s why he was recruited here.
“And 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 so we all know how important quarterback is.”
What’s Next
Barring disaster, St. Clair will continue to serve as Ohio State’s backup quarterback. He will continue to develop and wait his turn while pushing Sayin to be the best quarterback he can be.
The unfortunate thing for St. Clair – as well as the rest of the talented backups on the roster – is that he has a star ahead of him and will have to wait his turn.
The key for him this year is to stay ready in case of an emergency. The secondary key is to progress in a way that the 2027 job is his to lose.
Days until Week 1 vs. Ball State: 137 days
Days until The Game: 221 days
Main Image: © Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
