Ohio State QB Room Faces Long-Term Questions as Sayin Injury Puts Transfer Portal in Play

Ohio State will play its first game without Julian Sayin on Saturday at USC, and how the Buckeyes handle the next month could decide who plays quarterback for them in 2027. Sayin hurt his right shoulder in the Oct. 17 win at Indiana. Ryan Day has called him out indefinitely, and the Big Ten availability report listed him as out for the USC game. Yahoo Sports described the injury as likely season-ending.

Day would not say who starts. The choice is between freshman Luke Fahey, who finished the Indiana game, and Tavien St. Clair, the former five-star recruit from Bellefontaine, Ohio. Day said "both will be ready to play," according to Yahoo Sports. He told Eleven Warriors it is definitely possible both of them play in Los Angeles. Fahey has seen little action this season: 9 of 13 passing for 203 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions over four appearances.

The bigger questions come after the season. HEAVY notes that Sayin can enter the 2027 NFL Draft, and nobody knows yet how the injury will affect that choice. Whichever of the two backups spends most of the next month on the bench becomes a transfer candidate, and HEAVY considers that especially likely if it is St. Clair. Losing a five-star quarterback who stayed in-state would hurt Ohio State. The Athletic put the Buckeyes on its list of programs that have to wait on a quarterback's draft decision before planning for next year. If Sayin leaves, Ohio State could go to the portal for a starter. It worked before: Will Howard transferred in and led the Buckeyes to a national title.

What it means at USC

The Buckeyes are 6-1 and No. 2 nationally, and the numbers so far give a new quarterback a lot of support. Ohio State is averaging about 39 points per game and allowing about 13. Its only loss was 24-23 at Texas. Since that defeat the Buckeyes have won five straight, including road wins at Iowa (31-14) and Indiana (19-15). The Indiana game was also the one where Sayin got hurt. A defense that has held four of its seven opponents under 16 points will probably need to carry more of the load at USC.

The markets still have Ohio State as a clear favorite. On this site's Ohio State at USC board, which tracks 12 venues, the Buckeyes are favored at -233 on the Novig moneyline, and USC is +223. Novig's spread is Ohio State -6.5 at -108, with USC +6.5 at +106. theScore Bet has the widest USC number at +7.5, priced at -130. Novig's total is 51.5, with the over at +102 and the under at -106. BetRivers posts the lowest total, 51, with the over at -115. The extra half point to a point on those numbers likely reflects uncertainty about Ohio State's quarterback. Sportsbook hold runs from 3.3% to 5.8% on the moneyline and up to 7% on the total.

Kickoff is Saturday night on NBC. If Day plays both quarterbacks, USC will get a first look at the two players competing for the job.