Ohio State’s quarterback picture took a sharp turn after Julian Sayin’s elbow injury, and Ryan Day spent Tuesday trying to sketch out what comes next.
Sayin, a junior who had opened the season with a strong run, went down in last Saturday’s 19-15 win over Indiana in Bloomington. Day didn’t sugarcoat the situation, and the expectation now is that Sayin is likely finished for the year. That leaves Ohio State looking down the depth chart for the next man up at the most important spot on the field.
For now, Day hasn’t locked in a replacement. But he did make it clear that Luke Fahey has earned his attention, even though the freshman didn’t record a completion against the Hoosiers.
"He's an extremely hard worker," Day said of Fahey. "He puts a lot of hours in.
He's extremely competitive. "He has a moxie about him.
He has a competitiveness about him. We’re always looking for quarterbacks who are obsessed with being great.
And, I think when you get around Luke, you can see how important it is to him. He puts a lot of work in."
Day pointed to the behind-the-scenes habits that have stood out to him, saying Fahey is the kind of player most fans never get to see until the pressure hits.
"You know, you see him [Fahey] in the off-season; he's in here early with the receivers and he's going through the [play] scripts," Day said. "He's in the meeting rooms putting in a lot of work, learning the plays."
There’s also, in Day’s view, a difference between Fahey’s quiet preparation and what he brings once the ball is live.
"When he steps in the huddle, he has got it," Day added. "The [offensive] lineman feel that.
Obviously, he was a little overwhelmed...drinking through a firehose a little bit during that [Indiana] game. That's a tough spot to be in as a true freshman going into the fourth quarter like that.
But even just him being out there, you can see him escape the pocket and make that play."
Day said the rough edges are part of the deal with a young quarterback, and he wants Fahey leaning on the staff as he keeps moving through the season and into his Buckeye future.
"He has got to find the speed of the game," Day said. "Settle in, which we can help him do. And then, he just has a competitiveness about him that I think is pretty contagious."
In a little over a week, Ohio State will find out whether Day believes Fahey can hold down the position well enough to keep the Buckeyes’ CFP and Big Ten title hopes in play.
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