With Julian Sayin sidelined, Ohio State’s quarterback conversation has centered on Luke Fahey and Tavien St. Clair. But Justyn Martin is still in the mix, still working, and still waiting for his shot.
Martin, a former four-star recruit who transferred in from Maryland this offseason, has not taken a snap for the Buckeyes this year. He opened the season fourth on the depth chart and is now listed third behind Fahey and St.
Clair. Even so, the fifth-year senior has kept drawing attention inside the program for the way he has handled the role.
Back in September, before Sayin’s injury, Ryan Day said Martin’s work on the scout team had been noticed enough to spark some internal discussion about getting him on the field.
“It's one of those guys that I wish we had a little more time with, but yeah, you have to embrace your role. You may not always like your role, but when you're there, you gotta go do whatever you can and then maybe catch somebody's eye.
Like, ‘Hey, maybe there's some things we can do with this guy in a package down the road,’” Day said during his radio show on Sept. 24.
“And I would say because of the way he's embraced that role, the conversation has come up. So if he continues to go down that, he's gonna almost force us to look into some of those things.”
That conversation has not turned into game action yet. Still, Martin says he keeps preparing like his number could be called at any moment.
“The season's still going, so I'm definitely looking for more opportunities,” Martin told Eleven Warriors on Wednesday at the Ohio Stadium Blood Drive. “I feel like I push the guys every single day.
And I prepare just like everybody. And I will say I'm supportive of everybody, just like the other guys are supportive of me.
So I feel like we're all feeding off of each other and we're all pushing each other.”
He said the quarterback room has stayed locked into that approach even after Sayin went down.
“Honestly, I feel like everybody in the room has been preparing as if they were the guy. So it's not like a big change now that Julian's hurt,” Martin said.
“I feel like we've all kind of had this mindset that we want to play, and all the guys have done a great job of preparing for that moment. So I feel like it hasn't really been too different.”
Martin also backed Fahey, who has started the last two games and is 0-2 in those starts. In Martin’s view, Fahey’s confidence hasn’t wavered.
“I mean, if you met Luke, you understand that he's a confident person,” Martin said. “So I feel like that in and of itself, it speaks volumes of his character. And I just know that he'll be great at whatever he does.”
He had similar praise for St. Clair, who is also preparing for a chance to play.
“Tavien has been a pro,” Martin said. “I mean, like I said, since day one, we've kind of all been preparing to be the guy.
So it's not really like the situation did anything different for us. We still come in and prepare every single day like we're one snap away, and it hasn't been too much different.”
Sayin has remained involved while he recovers, and Martin said the injured quarterback is still helping in meetings and around practice.
“He’s the same Julian,” Martin said. “He's helping all the guys out in meetings.
He's still active in meetings and giving us all the pointers that we need. And when we're at practice, he’s talking to us in between drives and series and helping us get to where we're trying to go.”
Martin knows the feeling of being stuck on the sideline. He missed the rest of last season at Maryland after getting hurt in the Terrapins’ opener. Before that, he spent three years as a backup at UCLA and made his lone career start in a 2024 loss to Penn State, when he completed 22-of-30 passes for 167 yards and one touchdown.
Even without playing time at Ohio State, Martin says the experience has still been valuable.
“This season has taught me a lot of things,” Martin said. “I feel like I've become a better football player and a better person. And just being able to learn things that only the game can teach you … It’s been a very teaching year.”
He also said the atmosphere around the program stands out.
“The pride that people have for Ohio State football is unmatched. I don't think I've seen anything like it,” Martin said.
“It’s a way of life here; like, it's almost not even an option. So it's definitely different.”
Martin’s future remains open beyond this season. He was granted a medical hardship waiver for last year’s injury, giving him a sixth year of college football in 2027 despite the NCAA’s rule change that gives all players five years of eligibility going forward. He said he intends to use that extra year with the goal of getting on the field.
“I'm going to play next year, and the mindset's still the mindset, goal's still the goal. I got a lot of ball left to play, and I'm going to take it,” Martin said.
After the season, he’ll have to decide whether to stay at Ohio State for that final year or look elsewhere for a clearer path to playing time. For now, though, his approach hasn’t changed.
“I feel like you come into college with that mindset, and never let the situation allow you to have a different mindset,” Martin said. “Like even before I got here, whatever situation I was at, I was always preparing to be the guy, no matter what the situation was, no matter what the room. So it's not like the situation (of Sayin getting hurt) really made me flip a switch or anything.”
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