There is no quarterback competition at Ohio State for the 2026 season, as Julian Sayin has been the locked-in QB1 since Will Howard left the Buckeyes for the NFL. Meanwhile, Tavien St. Clair and Maryland transfer Justyn Martin are battling for the backup position.
St. Clair is emerging as the leading candidate to win the backup quarterback role at Ohio State in 2026, and analysts are already discussing him as a potential successor to Sayin. While Sayin has been setting the standard at quarterback, Ryan Day already said that St. Clair must be ready if called upon.
CFB Analyst Praises Tavien St. Clair As Julian Sayin’s Successor
“If somebody hasn’t already been the starting quarterback, Ryan’s going to let that go till like the last possible moment,” football analyst Dave Biddle said on Tuesday. “If you watch them out there, and I’m a huge Sayin fan, St. Clair looks good too. If you just watch them, and Ryan Day came out and said, ‘Hey, we actually have a quarterback competition here,’ that would be more reasonable than even last year.”
Throughout the 2025 season, Day frequently said that St. Clair still had areas to improve. St. Clair appeared in the 2025 matchup against Grambling State, but did not complete a pass. However, Day mentioned last month that the sophomore quarterback is “more confident” than he was a year ago. St. Clair is learning to manage the offense, protect the football, and benefit from increased repetitions in practice, which Day believes will accelerate his development.
Sayin finished the 2025 season with a 90.4 score in the PFSN College Football QB Impact Metric, ranking fourth nationally. If Sayin declares for the NFL Draft next year, St. Clair’s opportunity to compete for the starting role would come in 2027.
“If Sayin can avoid taking hits or getting injured in 2026, Ohio State will again feature one of the best quarterbacks in all of college football,” Land-Grant Holy Land’s Michael Citro wrote. “If not, the backups will suddenly become far more important than anyone anticipated. Prize prospect St. Clair is the likely next man up, although for a short-term fix, such as seeing out a game, the Buckeyes could turn to the more experienced Martin.
“What St. Clair lacks in experience, he makes up for in talent, but it’ll be up to Day, offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, and pass game coordinator/quarterbacks coach Billy Fessler to get the sophomore comfortable in the offense and up to game speed. The 6-foot-4, 230-pound St. Clair is obviously built much differently than Sayin.”
St. Clair was a 2024 finalist for Ohio’s Mr. Football award and finished his high school career at Bellefontaine with 9,794 passing yards and 104 touchdown passes. He was a coveted recruit out of high school, ranked as a five-star prospect and the No. 3 quarterback in his class. As for Martin, he appeared in one game for Maryland in 2025 but did not attempt a pass; his last completion came in 2024 while playing for UCLA.
