Ohio State settles on starter, backup race remains open

COLUMBUS, Ohio — The No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes will open their college football season on Saturday against Ball State with Julian Sayin as the starting quarterback, but the race for the backup job remains undecided.

Head coach Ryan Day, entering his eighth season at Ohio State, said the team will continue to split second-team practice reps between Tavien St. Clair and Luke Fahey this week, according to reports from Essentially Sports and Heavy.

“We’re going to let those guys continue to split reps with the twos this week and see how the week goes,” Day told reporters on September 1, as quoted by Heavy. “And if we can get them both reps in the game, we’ll try to do that. We’ll just kind of see how the game goes.”

Day said he hopes to play both St. Clair and Fahey in the season opener against Ball State on Saturday, September 5, per Heavy. The Buckeyes are heavy favorites, listed as a 50.5-point favorite against Ball State according to FanDuel, as reported by Heavy.

The contenders behind Sayin

St. Clair, a former five-star recruit in the 2025 class from Bellefontaine, Ohio, was widely expected to secure the backup role after Lincoln Kienholz transferred to Louisville, according to Essentially Sports. However, Fahey, a three-star freshman from Southern California, has emerged as a challenger after shedding his black stripe in just nine practices with the team.

Day praised Fahey’s work ethic during a post-practice press conference on August 15, saying the freshman works hard, shows up early, leaves late, and looks confident at the line, as reported by Essentially Sports.

“He’s been really doing a great job,” Day said during that press conference, according to Essentially Sports. “He’s putting a lot of pressure on Tavien.”

Day also challenged St. Clair to step up earlier in the offseason, telling reporters in February, per 247Sports and quoted by Heavy: “And then Tavien is someone that really has to step up for us. He’s going to have to be right there behind Julian and be ready to go. The schedule that we’re playing next year, as you guys know, you’ve seen what it looks like.”

Essentially Sports noted that Julian Sayin (in 2024) and Kyle McCord (in 2021) both shed their black stripes faster than Fahey, and both went on to become starters for Ohio State.

Game outlook and team stats

Ohio State enters Saturday’s game as the No. 1 team in the Associated Press poll, beginning what will be Ryan Day’s eighth season as head coach, according to WTOP.

Both the Associated Press and WTOP report that Ball State’s 2025 overall offense averaged 271.7 yards per game, ranking 132nd in FBS, while Ohio State’s offense averaged 422.6 yards per game (26th in FBS). Ohio State’s defense allowed just 219.1 yards per game, ranking first in FBS.

Julian Sayin threw for 3,610 yards, 32 touchdowns, and 8 interceptions with a 77 percent completion percentage in the 2025 season, per the Associated Press and WTOP. Wide receiver Jeremiah Smith recorded 1,243 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns, according to WTOP.

Ball State finished the 2025 season 4-8 after a 45-24 loss to Miami (Ohio), while Ohio State finished 12-2 after a 24-14 loss to Miami in a College Football Playoff quarterfinal at the Cotton Bowl, as reported by the Associated Press and WTOP.

Saturday’s matchup and beyond

Ball State will visit Ohio State on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. ET, with the game broadcast on the Big Ten Network, according to the Associated Press and WTOP.

Day acknowledged uncertainty about Ball State, noting that teams can look different in Week 0 due to transfer portal roster turnover, and mentioned Ball State head coach Mike Uremovich, as reported by Essentially Sports. Day said the game could provide opportunities for both St. Clair and Fahey to see playing time.

After Saturday, Ball State hosts Stony Brook, while Ohio State travels to Texas on September 12, per the Associated Press and WTOP.

Elsewhere in college football this weekend, No. 24 Louisville will meet No. 9 Mississippi in Nashville on Sunday, and No. 7 Miami will visit Stanford on Friday, according to WTOP.