Julian Sayin’s elbow injury has changed the picture for Ohio State in a major way, but it hasn’t settled the Buckeyes’ quarterback future. If anything, it’s only added another layer to what already figures to be a complicated call for 2027.
Sayin was on a path that could have put him in the 2027 NFL draft conversation. That is much harder to project now. He is out indefinitely after getting hurt against Indiana, and Ryan Day said Tuesday that Ohio State is preparing as if Sayin could miss the rest of the season.
That reality makes a return to college football next year look far more likely.
The route Sayin took to Columbus has already been a winding one. Ohio State pushed hard for him in the 2024 recruiting class, but he signed with Alabama instead. Once Nick Saban retired, Sayin entered the transfer portal and moved from Tuscaloosa to Columbus.
The fit has been strong. He spent 2024 behind Will Howard during the Buckeyes’ national title run, then became a Heisman Trophy finalist in 2025 in his first season as the starter.
That year, Sayin completed 301 of 391 passes for 3,610 yards, 32 touchdowns and eight interceptions. His 77% completion rate led the country.
This season, through seven games, he was 131-for-192 for 2,007 yards, 19 touchdowns and four interceptions. But his last game before the injury was also his roughest of the year: a 15-for-29 outing for 235 yards, two touchdowns, two interceptions and three sacks against Indiana.
At one point, a strong season would have positioned him to leave as a likely first-round pick. Now his draft outlook is much murkier.
Even so, Sayin’s return would not automatically settle Ohio State’s depth chart. The Buckeyes still have to decide whether he would reclaim the job next season.
In the meantime, three-star freshman Luke Fahey is expected to step in as the starter. Fahey had already moved ahead of five-star prospect Tavien St.
Clair for the backup role over the first seven games, and now he gets a bigger stage to prove himself. If he performs well and helps drive Ohio State on a playoff run, the Buckeyes could decide to keep him in place for next season.
St. Clair is still very much part of the conversation.
He worked with the first team in practice this week, which keeps open the possibility that he could start at some point this season. If he gets that chance and plays to his five-star reputation, that would add another wrinkle to Ohio State’s decision for next year.
There is also a path where the Buckeyes look outside the current room and bring in a transfer quarterback. That would become especially relevant if Sayin’s injury raises concerns about his availability next season. The source of the injury has not been confirmed, but an elbow injury that requires surgery could stretch deep into the offseason and make it difficult for Ohio State to count on him as the 2027 starter.
The numbers in the room matter too. Brady Edmunds is committed in the 2027 class, and Justyn Martin could still receive a medical redshirt to play a sixth year.
But if Ohio State does not keep at least two of Sayin, Fahey and St. Clair, it would still need another quarterback added to the mix.
Sayin still has two years of eligibility left, and Ohio State is not about to force out a quarterback who has already started 21 games for the program. But that doesn’t mean the job is his by default next season. His injury makes a college return much more likely than an NFL leap, yet the Buckeyes’ choice at quarterback for 2027 is still very much up in the air.
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