Ryan Day teases potential Julian Sayin replacement as Ohio State QB amid injury update originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Ohio State coach Ryan Day didn't mince words when addressing the health of Julian Sayin, a junior quarterback who had already been off to a fast start this season before suffering an elbow injury during last Saturday's 19-15 win against the Indiana Hoosiers in Bloomington.
With Sayin likely done for the season, attention now turns to who is up next at arguably football's most important position. Day said Tuesday he hasn't decided which quarterback from the depth chart will replace Sayin, but he praised Luke Fahey despite not registering a completion last week.
"He's an extremely hard worker," Day said of Fahey. "He puts a lot of hours in. He's extremely competitive. "He has a moxie about him. He has a competitiveness about him. We’re always looking for quarterbacks who are obsessed with being great. And, I think when you get around Luke, you can see how important it is to him. He puts a lot of work in."
Day cited how Fahey's attributes are what most of the media and the fans don't see that sets him apart from other quarterbacks he has coached.
"You know, you see him [Fahey] in the off-season; he's in here early with the receivers and he's going through the [play] scripts," Day said. "He's in the meeting rooms putting in a lot of work, learning the plays."
Day said, however, that Fahey's demeanor changes when shifting to live action.
"When he steps in the huddle, he has got it," Day added. "The [offensive] lineman feel that. Obviously, he was a little overwhelmed...drinking through a firehose a little bit during that [Indiana] game. That's a tough spot to be in as a true freshman going into the fourth quarter like that. But even just him being out there, you can see him escape the pocket and make that play."
Day said growing pains are part of growing as a young college quarterback, reiterating that he wants Fahey to use him and the coaching staff as a resource as the season and his Buckeye career move forward.
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"He has got to find the speed of the game," Day said. "Settle in, which we can help him do. And then, he just has a competitiveness about him that I think is pretty contagious."
In a little over a week, we'll find out if Day and the Buckeyes can trust Fahey enough to keep their potential CFP and Big Ten title hopes afloat.