Luke Fahey didn’t exactly light up Indiana when Ohio State needed him most, but the Buckeyes aren’t backing away from him.
After Julian Sayin went down with eight minutes left in Bloomington, Fahey stepped in and immediately showed the kind of chaos that can hit a true freshman thrown into live fire for the first time. He broke free for an 8-yard scramble on his first snap, then came up empty the rest of the way, finishing 0-for-2 with an intentional grounding penalty as Ohio State survived, 19-15.
Even with that shaky finish, Ryan Day and Arthur Smith still sound convinced that Fahey can handle the job if the Buckeyes ask him to.
Day said Tuesday that the Indiana outing was a tough spot for a young quarterback making his first real college-game appearance under pressure. He pointed to the scramble as a sign of what Fahey can do, while also making clear the next step is settling into the pace of the game.
“Obviously, he was a little overwhelmed and drinking through a fire hose a little bit during that game. It's a tough spot to be in as a true freshman in the fourth quarter like that,” Day said.
“But even just being out there, you can see him escape the pocket and make that play (on the 8-yard scramble). You can see a little bit of that in him.
Now, he's got to find the speed of the game and settle in, which we can help him do.”
Day was less firm this week than he was after Saturday’s game about Fahey being the automatic next man up. Now, the plan is to give both Fahey and Tavien St.
Clair plenty of work during the bye week, with the staff set to “play the guy that gives us the best chance to win.” That leaves open the possibility that the film from Indiana could push Day to rethink who starts against USC.
Still, Fahey hasn’t stumbled into this spot by accident. He beat out St.
Clair for the backup job earlier in the season, despite the fact that Fahey is a freshman three-star recruit and St. Clair is a sophomore five-star recruit.
Day said Fahey has also stayed ahead of St. Clair based on what the coaches have seen from him in practice over the past month.
So while there’s a difference between winning the No. 2 job and earning the right to start, Fahey remains the leading candidate heading into Ohio State’s next game. The Buckeyes have seen enough in the building to trust that he can run the offense, and Day believes the traits are there for more than just survival.
Fahey is listed at 5-foot-11 and 206 pounds, which is a different profile from St. Clair’s 6-foot-4, 235-pound frame. But Day said the freshman’s competitiveness and work habits jump out immediately.
“He's an extremely hard worker. He puts a lot of hours in.
He's extremely competitive,” Day said. “He has a moxie about him.
He has a competitiveness about him. We're always looking for quarterbacks who are just obsessed with being great, and I think when you get around Luke, you can quickly see how important it is to him.
He puts a lot of work in. You see when he's there in the preseason or in the offseason, he's in here early with the receivers, and just going through the scripts.
And you see him in the meeting rooms, putting in a lot of work, learning the plays. When he steps in the huddle, he's got it.
And the linemen feel that.”
Smith echoed that view, saying Fahey already carries himself with a “pro mindset.”
“From the jump, what's been impressive about him, I know he wasn't a highly recruited guy, but he understands how to play the position,” Smith said. “He puts a lot of work into it. I think he operates at a high level.”
Fahey has already gotten a few chances in lower-pressure moments, entering late against Ball State, Kent State and Maryland before the Indiana game. Across the season, he has completed nine of 13 passes for 203 yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions.
The final call on the USC starter won’t come until next week, and Day said he’ll decide then. But Ohio State didn’t put Fahey in first at Indiana by accident, and the staff’s belief in him has been building since he arrived in Columbus in January.
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Urban Meyer Just Turned Up Pressure On Ohio State's QB Decision
With Julian Sayin sidelined by injury, Ohio States quarterback picture has suddenly become a lot more complicated, and Urban Meyer is the latest voice weighing in on how the Buckeyes should sort through it. The former Buckeyes coach said Tavien St. Clair should be next in line to play, adding another layer of scrutiny to a spot that was already under the microscope as Ryan Day and his staff work through their options.
The timing matters because Ohio State is using the bye week to let St. Clair and Fahey compete for the job, with the staff trying to identify the best player to steer the offense forward. For a program built on championship expectations, the decision carries real weight, and Meyers comments only sharpen the focus on how quickly the Buckeyes need to settle on a direction. [Read more 🡒]
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Ohio State Suddenly Has A Season-Shaping Problem On Offense
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So the pressure now shifts to a running game that has been uneven, even as Isaiah West has given the Buckeyes a lift recently. There is still hope for more stability up front with Austin Siereveld returning, and Ohio State will need that help to matter quickly if it wants to keep the offense from stalling. The challenge is not just replacing a quarterback, but finding enough consistency in the ground attack for everything else to function around it. [Read more 🡒]