Ohio State’s quarterback picture took another hit, and now the focus has shifted from who starts next to Julian Sayin to how long he’ll be out and what comes after.
Sayin’s injury has now been identified as a fractured elbow, and Bill Rabinowitz reported that he already had surgery on it. The procedure was successful, and his prognosis is good. He had the operation two weeks ago and is currently recovering, but he will not be back this season.
That timeline makes the rest of the year a different kind of test for the Buckeyes. Recovery from a fractured elbow usually takes six months to a year, which shuts the door on any return in 2025. It also means Ohio State has to keep moving forward without the quarterback it expected to have.
The first crack at life without Sayin came in a loss to USC in Los Angeles. It wasn’t a clean answer, but Luke Fahey did enough to show he can handle the job for now. The true freshman threw for 260 yards and, as the source material notes, played about as well as you could expect from a first-year quarterback.
For the moment, Fahey is the guy. If he struggles, Tavien St.
Clair would be next in line. Either way, Sayin is out of the mix for the rest of this season.
The offense now has to find ways to create more explosive plays with Fahey running it. Getting Jeremiah Smith the ball as often as possible should help, but the coaches also need to scheme up more open receivers.
The line has to hold up too, and there’s some uncertainty there as well. Ian Moore’s status for Saturday is questionable, which would push Austin Siereveld to left tackle and bring Phillip Daniels back at right tackle.
The injury also leaves Sayin’s future at Ohio State unsettled. He could choose to declare for the NFL and try to cash in now, though his draft stock would likely not be especially high. The source material suggests he might be viewed as a third-round pick, assuming his recovery goes the way it should.
There’s also a path where Sayin comes back, but it depends on what happens around him. If Fahey or St.
Clair leads Ohio State to a national title, Sayin would likely have a conversation with Ryan Day that could push him toward transferring. Day, according to the source, would not bench a national title-winning quarterback, even if Sayin looks strong heading into next season.
On the other hand, if the quarterback play falls apart the rest of the way, Sayin could return and be in position to start for Ohio State next year. That remains on the table. Still, the most likely outcome, as the source frames it, is that he ends up playing somewhere else next season.
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