Ohio State ended its 2025 Quarterback Derby early, grabbing a commitment from Bellefontaine (Ohio) star Tavien St. Clair on Wednesday evening. The buzz had been building in recent weeks surrounding the Buckeyes and St. Clair after multiple stops at OSU one-day camps and culminated with St. Clair announcing his commitment just a couple of hours after lighting up the Buckeyes’ 7-on-7 team camp on Wednesday where he led his team to the championship game.
What Ohio State is getting
As I’ve said in this space many times recently, I have not seen an Ohio quarterback improve from the summer before his sophomore year to the summer before his junior year as much as St. Clair has. From the 36-pounds added to his frame, to becoming more consistent with his accuracy, to making better decisions, St. Clair has taken off like a meteor in recent months and through sheer hard work has turned himself into a national level recruit.
I don’t think many of the national and regional recruiting evaluators have seen a lot of St. Clair this off-season and when they see him next, they’re going to be stunned by his development both in terms of skill and physique. It would be a surprise to me if he didn’t end up a consensus Top 50 prospect when it’s all said and done.
St. Clair combines a big 6-foot-4, 216-pound frame with plus athleticism and plus arm strength. He has some Josh Allen in him in terms of his arm strength, imposing size, ability to move, and the confidence to throw receivers open and zip balls into tight windows. There doesn’t seem to be a window too small for St. Clair and while that has led to the occasional interception in the past, he did a much better job of harnessing that this past fall with just four interceptions.
Overall, St. Clair is an elite talent and it was very prudent for Ohio State to make this move now even with several other talented quarterback prospects still in play.
What it means for recruiting
Ohio State now has a leader for its 2025 recruiting class and with it being one of the deepest years in Ohio in a long time, to have that leader be an Ohio quarterback is definitely a luxury.
Looking ahead, St. Clair will also be able to be around campus for the big visit weekends that will take place over the next 18 months and help the Buckeyes build yet another big-time recruiting class.
While many will now ask if Ohio State will take two quarterbacks in the 2025 cycle, that is unlikely at this point. The Buckeyes have made their choice here and would seem more likely to go the Tristan Gebbia or Gunnar Hoak route to fill out the room if roster attrition necessitated.
While we’ve seen some theatrics over the years with early quarterback commitments, this one feels as solid as can be. The Buckeyes have done a lot of homework this off-season and being an Ohio kid adds an extra layer of security here.
While a lot of the recent buzz has been on a potential 2024 commitment run for the Buckeyes, it would not be a surprise to see St. Clair’s pledge really get the ball rolling in the 2025 cycle, too.
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