Breaking Down Julian Sayin and Tavien St. Clair’s Performances in Ohio State’s 2026 Spring Game

It was an up-and-down performance for both. While there won't be a quarterback competition entering this fall, St. Clair showed plenty of promise and potential, as the 6-4, 230-pound sophomore showcased his development after one year in the system. That said, Sayin continued to be his usual, calm self, while also showcasing his legs and running ability a bit more than usual, something that must be added to his game if OSU wants to reach its full potential this fall.

With that, we watched – and rewatched – the game to take a closer look at both Sayin and St. Clair's performance in what was a glorified scrimmage on a rainy afternoon in Ohio Stadium.

We charted each of the 37 passes thrown by Sayin and St. Clair in the spring game, with a disclaimer that spring game stats are unofficial and may vary from other outlets. (Note: Each passing chart is categorized by how many yards the quarterback threw the ball in the air past the line of scrimmage on each attempt and whether the ball reached its target inside or outside the hashes, though the stats listed include yards gained after the catch on each completion.)

Julian Sayin

Jeremiah Smith and Brandon Inniss played minimal snaps, and the first-team offensive line was depleted, given several injuries, but Sayin still moved the ball around the field. The most accurate passer in Division I in 2025, he targeted nine different players with his 16 throws, with five different receivers/running backs catching passes from Sayin.

Julian Sayin Jeremiah Smith pic.twitter.com/qXmOvO0DBF

— Eleven Warriors (@11W) April 18, 2026

He only completed two of seven passes between 10-20 yards downfield for 39 yards and did not attempt a pass 20-plus yards downfield, but Sayin still had a solid showing on Saturday.

The defensive line was able to get in the backfield quite often, given the circumstances, but the rising junior used some of those occasions to scramble, one of which was for a four-yard touchdown run on 4th-and-goal.

Julian Sayin runs in the first TD of @OhioStateFB's Scarlet vs. Gray spring game

: @BigTenNetwork pic.twitter.com/76yLYcxjB1

— Big Ten Football (@B1Gfootball) April 18, 2026

Tavien St. Clair

Let's be honest, watching the way St. Clair slings the ball – a flick of the wrist, per se – on Saturday, especially on deep throws, was great. After he only played in one game and threw two passes in 2025, neither of which were completed, it was something that Buckeye Nation hadn't seen of him yet at OSU. But it's also worth taking a step back and remembering that he was going against second- and third-string defenders while throwing passes to Chris Henry Jr. and Brock Boyd, among others.

St. Clair completed only nine of his 21 passes, but threw for 166 yards, highlighted by a 40-yard touchdown pass to Henry. Those 12 incompletions included several throwaways and a dropped pass.

He was at his best as a deep passer, completing three of five deep balls for 112 yards and a touchdown. St. Clair struggled more as an intermediate passer, completing only two of eight passing attempts between 10-20 yards.

This Tavien St. Clair-Chris Henry Jr. connection is funnnnnn pic.twitter.com/l7RE9Ag0gD

— Eleven Warriors (@11W) April 18, 2026

Like Sayin, the rising sophomore targeted nine different Buckeyes, with five of those having at least one reception.

While St. Clair showcased his arm, vision, and even his scrambling ability on Saturday, he also nearly had two interceptions on bad throws, one of which would have been a pick-six. But he’ll be able to learn from his mistakes as he continues his development this summer.

“We have a really good connection, we watch film together," Sayin said of St. Clair after the game. "I think he’s done a good job this spring of developing and taking that next step."

His best throw of the game came on a 34-yard pass to Henry, one that was perfectly placed over defenders and near the sideline.

Tavien St. Clair Chris Henry Jr. pic.twitter.com/My9Q7hvZq8

— Eleven Warriors (@11W) April 18, 2026

“Being the quarterback at Ohio State is not easy. He’s battling every day. I think you can see the talent, for sure," Ryan Day said of St. Clair. "Threw some really nice balls down the field, and then, obviously, missed some as well. ... He's got to learn from those things and continue to grow. He’s been showing up every day with a good attitude, and that's important.

"And he's got to continue to grind to learn how to run the offense at a high level because he's going to be an important part of this team," he continued. "You need to build depth at every position. And so we all know how important the quarterback is."

Sayin and St. Clair gave Ohio State fans a glimpse of the future for 2026 and beyond, in a very good way, on Saturday.