As the leader of Ohio State’s 2025 recruiting class, Tavien St. Clair had one more job to do after the Buckeyes’ loss to Michigan on Saturday.
With negativity swirling around the program after its fourth straight loss in The Game, St. Clair helped organize a show of support from the class as he and many of Ohio State’s other 2025 commits took to social media to reaffirm their commitments to the Buckeyes.
— Tavien St. Clair (@TJSaint_1) December 1, 2024
There was never any reason to doubt St. Clair’s commitment to the Buckeyes from the moment he committed to Ohio State in June 2023, as the five-star quarterback from less than an hour up the road in Bellefontaine was consistently on the sidelines at Ohio State games and around the Woody Hayes Athletic Center over the last year-and-a-half. But he wanted to make sure the world knew he and his soon-to-be teammates weren’t going anywhere.
“I think we just tried to send a message to Buckeye fans that we are ready to go,” St. Clair said. “That loss is a tough loss, for sure. It's emotional for everybody. But it didn't do anything for us but make us hungrier to get there, honestly. I talked to a bunch of the commits and we weren't upset – we were upset about the loss, obviously, because it's our rival, but we're just excited to be a part of it. Watching that game, I cannot wait to be a part of that rivalry. It's been so historically great and just really, really looking forward to it.”
The first quarterback from Ohio to sign with Ohio State as a scholarship player out of high school since Joe Burrow, St. Clair understands the Ohio State/Michigan rivalry because he’s grown up in it. While Bellefontaine is in between the two schools, St. Clair is a lifelong Buckeye fan who always dreamed of the day that came Wednesday, when he officially signed his scholarship agreement with Ohio State.
“It's definitely just surreal for me. Being a fan, it's a childhood dream,” St. Clair said after his signing ceremony. “It's just been a dream come true for me. This whole process has been spotless and clean with Coach Day and the staff at Ohio State. I've loved every minute of it. So to finally make it official today was really big and definitely a major blessing for me.”
Because of that, St. Clair will have no need to conjure up hatred for the Wolverines as he starts his Ohio State career. As an incoming Buckeye, St. Clair takes it personally that Ohio State has lost four games in a row in its rival, and he’s determined to play a part in changing that.
“I take it really personal,” St. Clair said. “Just being from Ohio, I think it means a little bit more to a lot of us Ohio guys knowing what it's capable of doing for the rest of your life. You can be known as a legend by beating the team up north. We're looking at it as an opportunity to put our name out there and really leave a legacy at Ohio State. So I'm taking it personal. I'm not trying to lose to the team up north. I don't have any intentions of losing.”
Despite those losses, St. Clair remains a big believer in Ryan Day. St. Clair says he’s built a very close relationship with Day throughout the recruiting process, and he’s confident Day can lead Ohio State to more success in The Game in the future.
“His record outside of the team up north game – obviously it's been a little rough with the team up north, we're looking to change that here soon – but his record's been second to none,” St. Clair said. “He's a great coach. I just really look forward to being able to play for him.”
Day shares a similar belief in St. Clair and his potential to be a star quarterback for the Buckeyes, and believes St. Clair will come to Ohio State with a head start on the typical freshman because of how much he’s already spent around the program.
“I think he's done a really good job of leading his own team and being somebody that is very unique in Bellefontaine,” Day said. “He came down for almost every spring practice to get around the guys and to see what's going on in terms of the meetings on the field, what it looks like. And then when he went on to some of the camps and Elite 11s, he really carried himself very, very well there, competed well. He knows what he's stepping into because he's around the facility as much as he is. It's an easy ride for him to get here. And he's going to come in and look to compete right away. And I think he's excited to get here. I think he feels like it's been a long recruiting process now because it has been a while (since he committed). And we're obviously very excited to build around him.
“Being the quarterback of the state of Ohio is different. So we'll have a plan for that and explain exactly what's going on and what the expectations are and showing him what it's supposed to look like. But for him to be down here as much as he is, I think he's getting a feel for that already.”
While Day is currently facing heavy scrutiny himself for his 1-4 record against Michigan, St. Clair says Day has talked to him about the scrutiny he will also face as Ohio State’s quarterback, and St. Clair believes Day and offensive coordinator Chip Kelly are the right people to lead him through that journey.
“Really, me and him, we're like this,” St. Clair said, crossing his index and middle fingers together. “The quarterback and the head coach get the most blame after games. So that's really what he's been preparing me for, just trying to get ready for that media. They're going to criticize you, they're going to praise you. You either get too much blame or too much credit, not enough credit. So really just getting prepared to go toe-to-toe with him, be arm-in-arm with him in battle. And I'm ready for it. Just coming in to compete day one is my goal and his goal, so we'll see what happens from there.”
“You can be known as a legend by beating the team up north. We're looking at it as an opportunity to put our name out there and really leave a legacy at Ohio State. So I'm taking it personal.”– Tavien St. Clair on his determination to beat Michigan
Being the leader of Ohio State’s 2025 recruiting class was a bit more challenging than he anticipated, St. Clair admitted, especially now that NIL plays a massive role in recruiting. The Buckeyes fell short of their goal of securing the No. 1 class of 2025, instead finishing signing day ranked fifth in the country after a few late decommitments, including five-star cornerback Na’eem Offord’s flip to Oregon on signing day.
The Buckeyes still signed 25 players on Wednesday, though, and St. Clair is excited about the players who will be joining him at Ohio State because he believes they truly want to be Buckeyes and want to win.
“I think we have a really good core of guys in the middle of our class. We've had some really loyal guys as well,” St. Clair said. “Most guys have stayed loyal, and we want the guys that want to be Buckeyes. If you don't want to be a Buckeye, we don't want you for that reason. You come to Ohio State to be the best, and if you're the best you come to Ohio State.”
