Ohio State May Start 5-Foot-11 True Freshman Luke Fahey at USC, and We’re Still Laying the Points

Five and a Fade card: Ohio State may start true freshman Luke Fahey or Tavien St. Clair at USC

Ohio State still hasn’t named its quarterback for Saturday at USC, and the choice is true freshman Luke Fahey or sophomore Tavien St. Clair, per ESPN. Julian Sayin is out indefinitely.

Kickoff is 6:30 p.m. Central on NBC in the Coliseum. No. 2 Ohio State is 6-1. USC is 6-2.

Fahey is the one to watch. He’s 5-foot-11, he threw for more than 7,000 yards at Mission Viejo, and his high school coach calls him the best quarterback he ever coached, ahead of Josh Rosen and DJ Uiagalelei. He won the backup job in camp. Ryan Day says he “has a moxie about him.”

His college résumé so far: he came in at Indiana facing second-and-28 in the fourth quarter, scrambled for 8 yards, drew a late hit for a first down, went 0-for-2 passing, and Ohio State held on 19-15. Not a bad debut for a guy who never completed a pass.

And the story is a great one. Fahey grew up in Southern California as a Buckeyes fan, and his family’s Ohio State ties go back to his great-grandfather enrolling there in 1898. His dad will be in the stands Saturday, not far from the home where they watched Ohio State games together.

We took Ohio State -7 on Tuesday in this week’s Five and a Fade, knowing the starter was out. The line has dropped to 6.5 at ESPN. We’re not moving. The Buckeyes have more talent around their backup than most teams have around their starter. If a 5-foot-11 freshman beats us in the Coliseum, I’ll tip my cap and then go lie down.

Follow along on X @fiveandafade and on Instagram.

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Jeremy Durham is a sports columnist for TriStar Daily and the founder of Five and a Fade.

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