Who is Luke Fahey? Meet true freshman set to claim Ohio State QB1 job after Julian Sayin injury update originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Coming off a big win over Indiana, things are looking up for Ohio State's season. Following a collapse against Texas, the Buckeyes have rebounded with five straight wins.
Ryan Day's team will still be facing some adversity on its path to the College Football Playoff. Starting quarterback Julian Sayin, a Heisman Trophy candidate entering the season after his strong sophomore campaign, left the Buckeyes' matchup with the Hoosiers in the fourth quarter on Saturday.
Now, it appears Sayin will be out for an extensive period — Day provided the latest update on his QB1 on Tuesday, likely opening the door for a true freshman to take over Ohio State's offense moving forward.
Here's the latest on Sayin and what to know about his top backup, Luke Fahey, who is in line to lead Ohio State into some big games.
MORE: College football picks against the spread for Week 8
Julian Sayin injury update
Sayin injured his arm in the fourth quarter of Ohio State's 19-15 win over Indiana after Mario Landino hit the quarterback's shoulder during a sack that forced a fumble. Later on, he was seen out of the locker room wearing a sling.
After the game on Saturday, Day said he expected Sayin would be out at least several weeks, per On3. He declined to provide a timeline on Tuesday, but made Sayin's absence more official, saying he would be out "indefinitely."
"We're not going to put any timeline on his return, but he is out indefinitely," Day said.
After going down on Saturday, Ohio State's HC Ryan Day provides injury update on QB Julian Sayin (via YT/ElevenWarriors) https://t.co/07RNazU78f
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) October 21, 2026
Day also said that Ohio State is planning to move forward without Sayin through the rest of the year, calling it "doubtful" that he'd return during the regular season, per 247Sports.
It's a significant blow for the Buckeyes; Sayin was a Heisman finalist last season and has thrown 17 touchdowns with just two interceptions so far in 2026. He threw two touchdown passes against Indiana.
When Sayin exited vs. Indiana, Day turned to Fahey to take the snaps.
“This is all bigger than just one person,” Day said to reporters postgame, per On3. “Certainly we don’t want to see (Sayin) get hurt, and we need him. At the same time, we’ll come together and figure this out. We’ve got a good team. When Luke’s in there, we just may need to do things just a little bit differently, but the bye week gives us a chance to regroup on that and put our heads together.”
Who is Luke Fahey?
Fahey is a 5-foot-11, 206-pound true freshman quarterback at Ohio State. He was a three-star recruit coming out of Mission Viejo, California, committing to the Buckeyes over Indiana and Stanford. He had over 7,000 passing yards in his high school career, per 247Sports, and led his team to the state championship as a sophomore.
Fahey claimed the No. 2 spot on Ohio State's quarterback depth chart in camp, and when Sayin exited on Saturday, the true freshman stepped in. On his first snap, facing second-and-28 after Sayin's fumble, Fahey scrambled for 8 yards before he drew a late-hit penalty for a first down.
luke fahey first play https://t.co/SlSv8rABxu
— wok (@wokdior) October 17, 2026
Fahey, however, also went 0-for-2 passing. Ohio State failed to pick up another first down. On the season, the Buckeyes quarterback has completed 9 of 13 passes for 203 yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions.
While Fahey has been Sayin's top backup, Day wouldn't rule out the chance that sophomore Tavien St. Clair could see snaps as well. St. Clair will see some snaps with the first team offense this week, per ESPN.
"We're going to play the guy that gives us the best chance to win," Day said on Tuesday, per ESPN. "Going into the last few games, Luke's been ahead of Tavien in terms of what we've seen, but now that we have a bye week, these guys are both going to get a lot of reps, and we're going to start to put together a plan on how we're going to move forward. We're going to play the guy that gives us the best chance to win."
According to 247Sports, Fahey is set to become Ohio State's first starting quarterback under 6 feet tall since Cornelius Greene (5-11) from 1973-75.
It will likely be Fahey on the field when Ohio State takes on USC on Oct. 31 and Oregon the following week, two critical matchups as the CFP approaches.
MORE COLLEGE FOOTBALL: