Six days after watching Ohio State earn a 56-0 win over Western Michigan, Tavien St. Clair led Bellefontaine High School to a similarly dominant performance on Friday night.
The Chiefs earned a 49-0 win over crosstown foe Benjamin Logan in their fourth game of the season, and the scoreboard likely would have been even more lopsided if not for Bellefontaine pulling its starters in the fourth quarter and OHSAA’s second-half running clock for games with margins of 30 points or more.
Bellefontaine didn’t need St. Clair to throw a lot of passes in the game, but he was highly efficient on the ones he did throw, completing all but one of his 11 passing attempts for 160 yards and two touchdowns. He put his arm strength and athleticism on display as he connected with Braylon Newcomb for a pair of deep-ball touchdowns, showed excellent ability to throw on the run with accuracy and also had a spectacular scramble that would have been a touchdown run if not for a holding penalty.
Tavien St. Clair showing his ability to throw on the run.
— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) September 13, 2024
Ohio State commit is 7-of-7 passing and Bellefontaine leads 21-0 in the first quarter. pic.twitter.com/JshyBSllx8
Tavien St. Clairs second of two touchdown passes tonight.
— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) September 14, 2024
Great catch on the receiving end by Braylon Newcomb, who recently received his first Division I offer from Eastern Kentucky. Newcomb also had a kickoff return touchdown tonight. pic.twitter.com/FKuoTQZJKC
Got called back due to a holding penalty, but a nice display of Tavien St. Clairs athleticism nonetheless.
— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) September 14, 2024
Bellefontaine leads 49-0 through three quarters. Taviens younger brother Reign in at quarterback for the fourth quarter. pic.twitter.com/d2EeSesZpk
St. Clair oozed confidence throughout the night, and the five-star Ohio State quarterback commit says that’s something he’s brought back to Bellefontaine with him from his trips to Ohio State.
“The confidence and the swagger that Ohio State plays with, I bring that back to my team and really just try and like, let them know that we can have fun out here. It's always a grind during the week, but you can have fun on Fridays. You put the work in throughout the week to have the result like we had tonight,” St. Clair told Eleven Warriors after the game. “It's always awesome to watch Ohio State play and perform the way they do and then come out here and do the same.”
A frequent visitor to Ohio State since his commitment to the Buckeyes in June 2023, St. Clair has been on the sideline for both of the Buckeyes’ first two games against Akron and Western Michigan and plans to be in attendance for every Ohio State home game this season with the possible exception of the Iowa game, which is being played on Bellefontaine’s homecoming weekend. He becomes more excited for his early enrollment at Ohio State in January with every trip to Columbus, especially with how well the Buckeyes have played so far this season.
While St. Clair was also a constant presence on the Ohio Stadium sidelines last year, he’s seeing a different level of confidence from this year’s Buckeyes two games into the season as Ohio State looks to end the year by avenging its three straight losses to Michigan and winning a national championship.
“You definitely can feel it in the air. Just stepping in the locker room or being around the guys in warmups, there's a confidence. There's just a vibe of domination, like they're just going to go out and dominate whoever they play,” St. Clair said. “And it's attractive. Like, you're drawn to it.
“I think there was a little bit of unsure feelings last year. And I think this year, they know they're the best team in the country. And they play like it every Saturday. So, it's really been really neat to see that unfold.”
St. Clair has been impressed by the play of new Ohio State quarterback Will Howard and the entire offense under new OSU offensive coordinator Chip Kelly through two games.
“I think Will has great poise. He's super calm in the pocket right now. And I think that's a little bit of what we lacked last year. Just didn't look very in control. And I think he looks in control,” St. Clair said. “He's a seasoned vet, so he's doing a great job. And the offense looks a whole lot better.”
Since Howard is a fifth-year senior, St. Clair will have an immediate opportunity to compete for Ohio State’s starting quarterback job next offseason. While Julian Sayin is the likely frontrunner to start in 2025 and Devin Brown will also be in the mix if he stays in Columbus, St. Clair certainly can’t be counted out, considering he’s ranked as the No. 1 overall prospect in the 2025 class by Rivals.
He says his focus when he arrives at Ohio State in January will be on becoming the best quarterback he can be regardless of his position on the depth chart.
“I want to go in and be the best version of myself, regardless if that means I'm going to start or whether I'm last on the depth chart,” St. Clair said. “If I'm at my best, that's all that matters to me. And that's the whole reason I committed to Ohio State. I feel like they can turn me into the best player that I can be. So, I'm really looking forward to just being able to be coached and soak in all the knowledge that Coach Kelly and all the quarterback room has and just really be a learner of the game.”
For now, St. Clair is focused on enjoying his senior season and trying to lead Bellefontaine to as many wins as possible. The Chiefs are off to a 3-1 start so far this season as they look to make another deep playoff run with St. Clair at the helm following a loss in the 2023 regional finals.
It makes it easier to stay focused that St. Clair has already been committed to Ohio State for more than a year and that his commitment has only grown stronger ever since.
“It's been huge for me. It takes a weight off your shoulders. You can really just be a kid and enjoy this last season,” said St. Clair, who wore an Ohio State headband and arm sleeve during Friday’s game. “But it's really cool because the group of coaches and the team that I've committed to at Ohio State, like they make things so easy. We are always in communication. We have a great relationship. So it's just been really huge for me and my maturity and my development.”
“Just stepping in the locker room or being around the guys in warmups, there's a confidence. There's just a vibe of domination, like they're just going to go out and dominate whoever they play.”– Tavien St. Clair on this year’s Ohio State football team
It also makes it easier that Ohio State’s 2025 recruiting class is already mostly full with 26 players already committed to the class. St. Clair says he’s still working on trying to flip Alabama offensive tackle commit Micah DeBose to Ohio State, but says DeBose is the only target the coaches have asked him to peer recruit as of late.
“We're probably trying to get a couple O-linemen here or there, and then we'll be pretty much set,” St. Clair said. “I feel really, really good. We have some great players across the country, and we have a really strong class. Our goal going into it was to have the number one class, and we're holding that right now.”
Additional quotes from Tavien St. Clair
On playing with his younger brother Reign, a freshman quarterback at Bellefontaine
“It's like a fairy tale. Like, you love to suit up and play with your brothers out here – my teammates are my brothers – but having an actual little brother as a teammate and get to see him through the ups and downs and be able to coach him and things like that, I couldn't have asked for a better situation.
“He has all the potential in the world. He can throw the ball really well. He's going to do the same thing as me. He's going to work hard in the weight room, and he's going to see what his body’s capable of. And I think that’ll help him with confidence just like it helped me. So, it'll be really big for his maturity. And, you know, at the end of the day, he's got a really high ceiling.”
On Jeremiah Smith’s strong start at Ohio State
“I tried to tell people he's not a normal freshman. And I think we're seeing that unfold on Saturdays, and it's really cool because I have a close relationship with Jeremiah. And on my OV, he was my host. So, I really got to grow the relationship there, and it's been really cool seeing him flourish.
“He's low-key. He doesn't like to go out and do things like that, which I gravitated towards a lot. Just his comfortability here in Columbus and in Ohio, being from Florida. He's straight down to business, cares about what he does, and he's not going to do anything (negative off the field) that will affect him on the field. He's a pro at what he does.”
On the receivers in his recruiting class
“I talk to them about their games all the time, every week. And, you know, they're ballers. Coach Hartline knows how to recruit, and I think we're in a better situation this year just because we've got some guys that are flying under the radar, and they're really dudes. Like, Phillip Bell's a dude. Quincy Porter's a dude. Bodpegn (Miller)'s a dude. We're deep. That's all I've got to say. And it's going to be really fun.”
On the current Ohio State receivers he’ll get to play with next year
“I think with Brandon (Inniss) and Bryson (Rodgers) and Carnell (Tate) and all those guys, it's a really strong group. And Mylan Graham with Jeremiah. That group of guys is hungry to play. And they're really great players. So I'm just looking to see what the next step is because I know they're going to be able to play. That's what we recruit at Ohio State, just ballplayers. So, I'm really eager to see what that holds.”
