Ohio State Buckeyes are in major trouble after Julian Sayin injury news

The Ohio State Buckeyes entered the 2026 college football season with expectations of winning a national championship.

Ohio State had Julian Sayin returning as their starting quarterback, and although he isn’t flashy, he is one of the top quarterbacks in college football. He makes the smart, correct throws and knows how to manage the game.

However, against the Indiana Hoosiers, Sayin suffered an injury and was seen on the sidelines with a sling. The injury is a concern because, due to the NIL era, it is hard for these top teams to have an elite backup.

Instead, those quarterbacks go where they can start as a freshman and then transfer to the big-name schools a year or two later in the portal.

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That is exactly the case for the Buckeyes, as backup quarterback is Luke Fahey. Fahey is a true freshman and was a three-star recruit out of California and the 38th-ranked quarterback in the class.

Fahey is more of a runner than Sayin, so he can try to make plays with his legs, but he’s nowhere near the passer that Sayin is. The Buckeyes do have Tavien St. Clair as another option, who was a five-star recruit in the Class of 2025 and the third-ranked quarterback, but he’s somehow fallen behind Fahey.

Perhaps both Fahey and St. Clair will get a chance to run the offense, as Ohio State is on its bye week. So, Ryan Day can use practice to determine who starts, but both are a major step down in competition from Sayin.

The Buckeyes already have one loss on the season, so they can likely only afford one more. Ohio State has to go on the road to play USC on Halloween after the bye week, which is not an easy game, and also still has to play Oregon and Northwestern at home before playing Nebraska on the road and Michigan at home.

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If Sayin is lost for the season, which could be the case, there is a legit chance Ohio State goes 3-2 or 2-3 in the final five games and misses the playoffs, which would be a major disappointment.

Ultimately, Ohio State will need to simplify its offense to short passes to Jeremiah Smith and really rely on the run game. If not, the Buckeyes could be in a world of trouble and could very well miss the playoffs.

Ryan Day still confident in Ohio State amid Sayin injury

The Buckeys turned to true freshman Luke Fahey and not Tavien St. Clair after Sayin’s injury against Indiana.

After the game, Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day said Sayin would be out for ‘several weeks’ due to an injury to his throwing shoulder.

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Despite Sayin being injured, Day has full confidence in Fahey and the offense to continue to succeed.

“We’ll regroup,” Day said postgame. “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.”

Fahey beat out St. Clair for the backup job, a statement from the true freshman, as he beat out one of the best quarterbacks out of high school the year prior.

So, the Buckeyes have seen something in him to turn to him, and he must deliver, or Ohio State could miss the playoffs.

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This story was originally published by Lindy's Sports on Oct 20, 2026, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add Lindy's Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.