How Ohio State football QB Luke Fahey got the chance to fulfill a childhood dream
· Yahoo Sports
Almost 70 years ago, two students met at Ohio State’s main library.
They were student employees, introduced by a sister-in-law who was working as a supervisor.
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Even from different floors of the library, they became inseparable. Rosemary Gorman, according to family lore, would call Robert Fahey’s floor just to hear his voice.
The young couple dated for a year before marrying in 1958 and settling in California. Fahey was an industrial engineer and got a job as a defense contractor with Douglas Aircraft, which was based in Santa Monica.
The move took them almost 2,000 miles from Columbus, but it did little to diminish their devotion to their alma mater.
They watched the Buckeyes whenever their games aired on one of the three television networks. They took the children to the 1971 Rose Bowl when Ohio State played Stanford. Their son, Steve, revered Rex Kern, the quarterback who led the Buckeyes to the national title as a sophomore in 1968.
The attachment to Ohio State endured over the decades, like a family heirloom passed down through generations.
It would eventually be inherited by their grandson.
Luke Fahey might have been raised in Orange County, but he carried the same fondness for the Buckeyes.
In a sea of USC and UCLA fans, the ties only strengthened as Ohio State won a national championship in 2014 and remained one of the country’s dominant programs.
“Luke grew up with the idea of being a Buckeye and contributing to the team,” said Luke's father, Steve Fahey. “That was the hugest thing to him. I don't want to sound too corny, but it's the truth.”
He will have the opportunity on Oct. 31 when the Buckeyes return from their idle week to play at USC without starting quarterback Julian Sayin, who is out indefinitely after he was injured in their win at Indiana.
While coach Ryan Day declined to announce a starter in the days leading up to kickoff, Fahey is seen as most likely to be behind center following a midseason competition with Tavien St. Clair as the Buckeyes look to remain at the forefront of the Big Ten race and College Football Playoff hunt.
Fahey spent all season as the backup quarterback after climbing the depth chart as a freshman, and he replaced Sayin against the Hoosiers.
“He’s an extremely hard worker,” Day said. “He puts a lot of hours in. He’s extremely competitive. He has a moxie about him. He has a competitiveness about him.”
Luke Fahey's long road to Ohio State
Luke Fahey might have longed to reach Ohio State, but it wasn’t until 16 months ago that the opportunity materialized.
Fahey was on a visit in June 2025 when he landed a coveted scholarship offer.
It was a bit late in the recruiting process for a quarterback. Fahey was about to begin his senior year of high school at Mission Viejo.
When the Buckeyes had recruited St. Clair in the previous class, they offered him a scholarship at the end of his sophomore year at Bellefontaine.
Fahey lacked the typical billing of an Ohio State quarterback recruit. He juggled playing basketball and lacrosse with football, leaving him with less time on the offseason showcase circuit than other nationally ranked quarterbacks.
As a sophomore and junior at Mission Viejo, he split time with Draiden Trudeau, now at San Diego State.
But his height loomed as the most significant obstacle. Fahey measures just under 6 feet tall.
It emerged as a factor in evaluations. The major recruiting services place a premium on measurables. On3 and 247Sports listed the 5-foot-11 quarterback as a three-star prospect.
“If he's 6-2, he's probably a top-five, top-seven quarterback in the country,” said Greg Biggins, a longtime Southern California-based national recruiting analyst for Rivals and On3.
Even if it took years before college football’s traditional powerhouses pursued Fahey, it didn’t deter him.
“He didn't know who would offer him,” Steve Fahey said. “He always knew he was on the shorter side. But he knew he was successful, and he would work hard.”
A coaching connection ultimately led Ohio State to Luke Fahey in 2025.
Corey Dennis, the UNLV offensive coordinator who was Ohio State’s quarterbacks coach a few years ago, referred Fahey to Brian Hartline, then the Buckeyes’ offensive coordinator.
UNLV was recruiting Fahey but recognized he was still interested in Power Four conference schools.
Hartline met Fahey at Mission Viejo during a recruiting trip through Southern California. Quarterbacks coach Billy Fessler followed later in the spring to see him work out.
It went well enough that the Buckeyes invited Fahey to Columbus for the official visit that resulted in his scholarship offer.
The offer felt surreal. Steve Fahey thought it took several days before the reality fully sank in. He caught his son’s reaction as they were sitting at home together one evening.
“You could just see the light go on,” Steve said, “and he realized how excited he was. It was one of those moments where you’re watching your kid grow up and make his own choices and he’s happy about it. It was a pretty cool moment.”
The following week, Luke made his commitment to Ohio State. He announced the decision on July 3, his mother’s birthday.
Luke Fahey has more than measurables
Mission Viejo coach Chad Johnson took an unusual step in the summer before Luke Fahey’s senior year. When the Diablos participated in 7-on-7 passing tournaments, he turned over play-calling to Fahey.
“He called his own play every single time,” Johnson said.
It was the first time Johnson had entrusted as much to a quarterback, an idea that sprang from a visiting college coach who pointed out how much Fahey was already directing their offense in practices.
“He was ready,” Johnson said.
Johnson has seen a long line of passers leave Mission Viejo for the Football Bowl Subdivision. All of his starting quarterbacks at the school have landed in the top half of Division I, and when he was previously the offensive coordinator at St. John Bosco, he tutored DJ Uiagalelei and Josh Rosen who went on to the NFL. Uiagalelei is a backup with the Los Angeles Chargers.
Johnson said he considers Fahey the smartest quarterback he has coached, putting him alongside Rosen. It’s no accident.
“His preparation is a big reason why he's so cerebral,” Johnson said. “It's not like he walks out there, doesn't have to study film and work at it and go, ‘I got it.’ He works and grinds and studies and all of those things.”
Johnson has seen the habits up close. He gives his quarterbacks homework during their game weeks, asking them to identify opponents’ base coverages, blitz tendencies and other key concepts.
On Friday mornings, he issues tests. Once the quarterbacks take them, they’ll review the results before kickoff. He wants them to know what they’re looking at.
While competing in one of the highest levels of high school competition, Fahey often had a strong grasp.
“If you look at Luke's game, he's extremely smart,” Biggins said. “He's quick with the ball. He's quick with his reads.”
Fahey’s decision-making made a difference as he threw for more than 7,000 yards at Mission Viejo, including a single-game school-record 569 yards in a win over Los Alamitos last fall.
He completed 68.9% of his passes with 68 touchdowns to nine interceptions over three years.
“This kid checks off every box except for the height box,” Johnson said.
Luke Fahey learns quickly
Fahey didn’t fill up the stat sheet when he replaced Sayin in the fourth quarter at Indiana. His only two passes fell incomplete, including an attempted screen that hit an offensive lineman’s helmet.
“Obviously, he was a little overwhelmed and drinking through a fire hose,” Day said. “That's a tough spot to be in as a true freshman.”
But Day liked some of the flashes. Fahey evaded a pass rush and scrambled for 8 yards on his first snap.
“You can see him escape the pocket and make that play,” Day said. “Now he's got to find the speed of the game and settle in, which we can help him do.”
The scramble offered a glimpse into the competitiveness that Fahey showed upon his arrival at Ohio State in January. It was not only in practice or on his first meaningful snap in the Big Ten, but also behind the scenes as he acclimated to the program.
Day remarked on how Fahey arrived early at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center to go over scripts for practices with the wide receivers and spent more time in the meeting room to learn the plays.
“We’re always looking for quarterbacks who are just obsessed with being great,” Day said, “and when you get around Luke, you can quickly see how important it is to him.”
Offensive coordinator Arthur Smith saw an outlook that mirrored the players he had coached during his previous 15 years in the NFL.
“For a guy that is young, he has a pro mindset,” Smith said. “I know he wasn't a highly recruited guy, but he understands how to play the position.”
The approach not only accelerated the learning curve, but also left Fahey in position to fulfill a dream he had carried since childhood.
The reality continues to come into focus.
While Luke was on a FaceTime call with his parents last weekend, Steve noticed he had a missed call and voicemail from an unknown number.
It turned out to be from Kern, the Buckeyes’ legendary quarterback. Steve returned the call and put Kern on speakerphone with the rest of them.
“My mouth's hanging open,” Steve said. “You've got to be kidding me.”
He was introduced to his childhood hero, but also saw the opportunity to link generations of Ohio State quarterbacks.
Before the call ended, Kern imparted advice to Luke. It had little to do with any play designs or passing concepts for the upcoming game against the Trojans. It was a deeper feeling.
“It was just to embrace the enthusiasm for playing for a school that you really love,” Steve said. “It was your dream school. Savor all of that.”
Joey Kaufman covers Ohio State football for The Columbus Dispatch. Email him at [email protected] and follow him on @joeyrkaufman on X.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: How Ohio State football QB Luke Fahey got the chance to fulfill a childhood dream