True freshman Luke Fahey poised to start for Ohio State at USC

Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin is out indefinitely with a throwing arm injury, placing true freshman Luke Fahey in line to make his first collegiate start against the University of Southern California. The matchup is scheduled for Saturday at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, marking a return to Southern California for Fahey, who grew up in the region. Coach Ryan Day has not yet confirmed whether Fahey or sophomore Tavien St. Clair will take the field, but Fahey has emerged as the leading candidate following Sayin's injury.

Fahey entered the game two weeks prior at Indiana after Sayin was hurt in the fourth quarter. Facing a second-and-28 situation, the freshman scrambled for eight yards and drew a late-hit penalty that secured a first down. He finished that appearance with zero completions on two attempts, but the Buckeyes held off Indiana for a 19-15 victory. Day noted that Fahey appeared comfortable in the high-pressure moment, citing the player's confidence and athletic ability.

The Fahey family has deep roots at Ohio State that stretch back to the 19th century. Luke's great-grandfather, Edward Gorman, enrolled in 1898. Gorman's first wife was the sister of Walter Barrington, who quarterbacked the Buckeyes from 1906 to 1908. Gorman later remarried and died when his daughter Rosemary was two years old. Rosemary eventually attended Ohio State, where she met Stephen Fahey's father, Robert, a Korean War veteran who worked in the university library. The couple married in 1958.

Stephen Fahey, the current father of the quarterback, was born in California after Robert took a job there. Despite living in the West, the family maintained a strict allegiance to the Buckeyes. Stephen recalled that watching Ohio State was a priority that superseded local schools like UCLA or Stanford. He remembers the 1971 Rose Bowl in Columbus, where he watched former Buckeyes star Rex Kern play for Stanford. Kern, who won the Heisman Trophy, was Fahey's favorite player, though Jim Plunkett led Stanford to a 27-17 win that day.

Stephen passed that devotion to Luke, who was seven years old when Ohio State won the national championship following the 2014 season. Standing just 5-foot-11, Fahey shares the height profile of Kern. Chad Johnson, Fahey's high school coach at Mission Viejo, called him the best quarterback he had ever coached, ranking him above NFL first-round picks Josh Rosen and DJ Uiagalelei. Fahey passed for more than 7,000 yards in high school and led Mission Viejo to a state championship as a sophomore. Johnson allowed Fahey to call all plays during 7-on-7 competitions before his senior year, trusting him to change protections and routes at the line of scrimmage.

Recruiters from Stanford and Indiana showed interest in Fahey, but Ohio State extended a scholarship offer after a recruiting visit to Columbus. During the visit, the family toured the house where Rosemary grew up and a cemetery holding several relatives. Day met with Fahey in his office and offered the scholarship based on work ethic and a winning attitude, rather than physical size or five-star status. Fahey signed with Ohio State and beat out St. Clair for the backup role during preseason camp. Stephen Fahey plans to attend Saturday's game, noting that his late parents, Robert and Rosemary, would be proud of this new chapter for the family.

Stephen has not visited Columbus in decades before the recruiting trip. He described the moment Day offered the scholarship as a turning point. He said, "He looked at him and goes, 'This is why I like you, because of work ethic; you're a winner.'" The family's connection to the university spans more than a century. Robert died 34 years ago, and Rosemary passed away in 2020. Stephen said he could only imagine their reaction to their grandson playing quarterback for the Buckeyes.