Tavien St. Clair spent his freshman season on the sidelines, watching Julian Sayin light up defenses to the tune of 3,610 passing yards. The highly touted quarterback recruit didn’t throw a single pass all year, and now, the path to playing time just got steeper.
On Wednesday, St. Clair posted a single word - “Uno” - to his Instagram Stories, tagging a highlight reel of wide receiver Brandon Inniss.
It was a subtle but telling moment. Inniss, who wears No. 1 for the Buckeyes, just announced he’s coming back for his senior season.
That decision came in the wake of Carnell Tate’s departure for the NFL Draft, and it’s a big deal for an Ohio State offense that’s reloading, not rebuilding.
But for St. Clair, the timing of Inniss’ return intersects with a more personal challenge: the arrival of transfer quarterback Justyn Martin.
Martin, who landed in Columbus by way of Maryland and UCLA, is now the frontrunner to back up Sayin in 2026. That’s a major shake-up in the quarterback room, and it sends a clear message - the competition is wide open, and the Buckeyes aren’t waiting around to develop talent slowly.
Lincoln Kienholz entering the transfer portal once looked like St. Clair’s window of opportunity.
But Martin’s arrival slammed that window shut - at least for now. According to St.
Clair, head coach Ryan Day has long admired his deep ball. “He always has me come with him to throw the deep balls to the receivers because he’s like, ‘You can put it out there to wherever I want you to put it,’” St.
Clair said back in December. That’s high praise from a coach known for his quarterback development.
But in today’s college football world, respect doesn’t equal reps - especially when experienced transfers keep walking through the door.
Martin jumped St. Clair on the depth chart before spring practice even kicked off.
And if that pecking order holds, St. Clair may be forced to consider the same route Kienholz took - hitting the portal in search of a clearer path to the field.
Meanwhile, Inniss is gearing up for a big year. The veteran wideout, a two-time captain, wrapped up 2025 with 36 catches, 271 yards, and three touchdowns.
Now he’s back with unfinished business, ready to pair with Jeremiah Smith as Julian Sayin’s top targets in 2026. That’s a scary-good duo for a quarterback who already finished fourth nationally in quarterback impact grades with a 90.8 score, completing 77% of his passes and throwing 32 touchdowns.
Sayin is expected to head to the NFL after next season, which was supposed to be St. Clair’s moment - the year he’d finally compete for the starting job. But if Martin locks down the No. 2 role and holds it through next season, that timeline suddenly feels like a pipe dream.
Inniss returning signals that Ohio State is all-in on winning now. There’s no slowing down to develop a backup quarterback when the roster is stacked and the expectations are sky-high.
Day runs a demanding program, and St. Clair knows it.
“I mean, he’s a tough coach,” St. Clair said.
“If you do something wrong, he’ll let you know.”
St. Clair arrived in Columbus as one of the most promising quarterback prospects the state had seen in years. Now, he’s watching the depth chart shift beneath him - and posting about wide receivers while fighting to stay in the mix.