Ohio State has its quarterback for 2025.
Less than a month after receiving his offer from Ohio State, in-state product Tavien St. Clair made the plunge and publicly committed to the team he grew up cheering for moments after leading Bellefontaine to a championship game appearance at OSU’s 7-on-7 camp Wednesday.
The St. Clair File
- Class: 2025
- Size: 6-4/216
- Pos: QB
- School: Bellefontaine (Bellefontaine, Ohio)
- Composite Rating: ★★★
- Composite Rank: #333 (#25 QB)
"I took a visit to (OSU) last Thursday, and listening to the coaches tell me I was their number one priority and they wanted me to be a Buckeye, it felt like it meant more to me," St. Clair said after informing Ohio State of his commitment. "Being a kid from Ohio, that's what you dream of, being a Buckeye. It's 50 minutes down the road, family can watch whenever they want ... it just seems like the right fit for me."
While he publicly announced his decision Wednesday, his mind was made up after getting home from attending OSU's high school football camp last Thursday.
"I talked to my parents about it Thursday after the camp," St. Clair said. "We're big on faith, so we prayed about it and discussed it as a family and we felt peace with it. At the end of the day, that's what we decided to do. There's not a better place I'd rather be."
All Glory to God! Dreams to reality. It Just means more to be a Buckeye. Buckeye NationIM HOME! 100% CommittedGO BUCKS!@ryandaytime @CoreyDennis_ @brianhartline @OhioStateFB @BHSChieftainFB @strength_bhs @MickWalker247 @SWiltfong247 @Bill_Kurelic @ChadSimmons_ pic.twitter.com/XdqYzpn8n0
— Tavien St. Clair (@TJSaint_1) June 21, 2023
St. Clair earned the opportunity to join the scarlet and gray after he completely transformed his body in one year, going from 180 pounds to 216 pounds entering his junior year, earning the attention of Ryan Day and quarterbacks coach Corey Dennis and picking up his OSU offer in May.
"Right after basketball season, I started working out five to six times a week at 5 a.m., I really started upping my calories and eating," St. Clair said.
He showcased his interest in the Buckeyes multiple times after getting the offer, camping at Ohio State three times in June, delivering a standout performance each time.
In the last month, Dennis and St. Clair developed a closer relationship, with the Ohio signal-caller committing partly due to his trust in the Buckeyes' developmental track record.
"He's really relaxed and knows what he's talking about," St. Clair said of Dennis. "The quarterback development here is better than anywhere else. So learning from him is nice."
Other programs around the country took notice of St. Clair's rise, including Alabama, Michigan, LSU, Mississippi State, Michigan State and Penn State, all of which offered him within the last few months. St. Clair said his decision came down to Ohio State and Alabama, but in the end, St. Clair never wanted to leave his home state and decided to shut down his recruitment relatively quickly.
"Just the developmental side, Ohio State's better than anyone developing quarterbacks in the past 10 years," St. Clair said. "Just seeing where they take quarterbacks at the next level is probably the reason I chose here."
St. Clair is now on track to be the first in-state quarterback to sign with the Buckeyes out of high school since Joe Burrow in 2015. The 6-foot-4, 216-pound signal-caller is the second commit in Ohio State's 2025 class, joining five-star cornerback Jontae Gilbert. Per 247Sports' composite rankings, St. Clair is considered the 333rd-best prospect and the 25th quarterback in the 2025 class, but it's a good bet both of those numbers and his star ranking will shoot up in the near future.
| Pos | Name | Rating | Rank | Size | School |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CB | JONTAE GILBERT | ★★★★★ | #22 NATL | #2 S | 6-1 | 175 | Douglass (Atlanta, GA) |
| QB | TAVIEN ST. CLAIR | ★★★ | #333 NATL | #25 QB | 6-4 | 216 | Bellefontaine (Bellefontaine, OH) |
| Prospect Rating Data: 247Sports | |||||
With St. Clair in the class this early, the Bellefontaine product can turn into one of the 2025 class leaders and help peer recruit other prospects to join the Buckeyes.
"With the help of a quarterback, they feel like if he's high profile, he'll be able to get whoever he wants," St. Clair said. "That's the main focus is to have the best team you can have ... The coaches will tell me who they want to go after and I'm going to go after them. Whether it's above me, behind me or in my class, I'm trying to get the best guys here."
St. Clair was the third 2025 quarterback OSU offered, with five-star Michigan prospect Bryce Underwood and four-star Ohio signal caller Ryan Montgomery being the others. With St. Clair committed, it's likely the Buckeyes will end up with him as the lone quarterback in the 2025 cycle, but it's not impossible they take a second if the right opportunity arises. St. Clair himself said he'd welcome another quarterback to join him in the 2025 class.
"If that's what it came to, it's fine," St. Clair said of OSU potentially taking two quarterbacks in the 2025 class.
St. Clair may have committed to Ohio State early in his recruiting process, but he's determined Columbus is the place for him and has no intention of exploring other schools.
"I'm fully committed to Ohio State," St. Clair said. "Any recruitment outside of that, I'm not going to take part in it."
St. Clair gives Buckeyes strong-armed prospect capable of stretching the field
When watching St. Clair work out, it's hard not to marvel over his raw talent. But it would be foolish to label St. Clair purely a gunslinger, as he's proven to be an accurate passer as well.
In St. Clair's sophomore season at Bellefontaine, he completed 208 of 294 passes (71 percent completion rate) for 2,453 yards with 25 touchdowns and four interceptions. Considering how often St. Clair loves to attempt the deep ball, completing higher than 70 percent of his passes in a season is otherwordly.
"I'm kind of just taking what the defense gives me, not trying to necessarily trying to make all the perfect throws, I'm just going out there and playing, not thinking as much," St. Clair said of how he's improved from a quarterback from last year. "I just make the throws when they're there."
St. Clair plays in a spread offense at Bellefontaine, so he shouldn't have any trouble adjusting to Day's scheme at OSU. The Ohio prospect also shows great arm strength and accuracy while throwing on the run or in the pocket. He often uses pump fakes to get defensive backs to bite which results in long games downfield combined with an arm capable of attacking the deep third of the field. St. Clair isn't necessarily a burner, but he's capable of creating plays with his feet too and picking up first downs when the running lanes are there.
