Ohio State backup QB Luke Fahey has solidified himself as the number two option behind Julian Sayin.
Ohio State's biggest shakeup in their roster at the skill position groups came at the backup position behind starting quarterback Julian Sayin.
Coming into the season, the expected second-string signal caller was the Ohio five-star Tavien St. Clair. St. Clair was highly touted as a prospect with massive potential that he just never realized.
It was a work in progress, so much so that he got passed up during training camp by freshman QB Luke Fahey.
Fahey came to Columbus by way of Mission Viejo, California, as just a three-star prospect. He is fighting a lot of external forces, as he is a bit undersized and doesn't have the strongest arm, but he works his tail off and quickly shrank the gap between himself and St. Clair.
He didn't get a ton of buzz during camp, and it seemed like a foregone conclusion that St. Clair would get the first opportunity in the first blowout of the year, but Buckeye Nation was given a surprise.
After the Buckeyes got up big on Ball State, the first quarterback off the bench was Fahey, and everyone's eyebrows rose in shock at what they were seeing. St. Clair got a couple of reps against Ball State, but the writing was on the wall.
Then, in week three against Kent State, it was the same thing. Fahey got the first opportunity off the bench, followed by St. Clair to finish it off. To his credit, Fahey operated the offense at an efficient level, juxtaposed with St. Clair, who threw an interception late in the game.
On Tuesday, Buckeyes' head coach Ryan Day was asked about what is going on at the depth spots in the quarterback room, and his answer was simple. Fahey is where he is because of the work he put in on and off the field this year. He doubled down on the fact that, at his current trajectory, he will remain the backup moving forward.
The hope is that we never have to see him in a game, but the reality is that it is very plausible he'll be called upon in a critical situation at some point during the season.
Quarterbacks with good offensive lines are typically okay when it comes to their health. Thankfully, the Buckeyes have just that and have done a decent job keeping Sayin upright. However, when the moment does come, Ryan Day is leaning towards potentially putting the weight of the season on the back of a freshman.
Hopefully it doesn't have to happen, but if it does, the Buckeyes will put their fate in the hands of a youngster. We will see if it pays off.
