Ohio State Buckeyes 2025 elite quarterback recruit becomes new No. 1 overall player over rival LSU commit

Rivals updated its latest rankings on Monday, spotlighting that Tavien St. Clair, a five-star quarterback committed to Ohio State, has climbed to the top spot as the nation's No. 1 overall recruit.

Since committing to Ohio State the previous summer, St. Clair's prominence has surged, especially after his outstanding performance and accuracy challenge victory at the Elite 11 – a renowned event for high school quarterbacks.

Standing at 6-foot-4 and weighing 225 pounds, St. Clair is ranked as the second-best prospect and the second-best quarterback by 247Sports, the eighth-best prospect and second-best quarterback by On3, and the 15th-best prospect and third-best quarterback by ESPN.

According to the composite rankings of 247Sports, he is the ninth-best prospect and the second-best quarterback in the 2025 class.

Rivals released a video showcasing St. Clair's reaction upon learning about his top ranking during a session with his teammates. You can find it above.

The quarterback has witnessed his reputation soar over the last year and a half. In his junior year, St. Clair passed for 3,983 yards with 37 touchdowns and six interceptions, and he also rushed for 352 yards and four touchdowns.

"This is a very fun example of someone having a meteoric rise in the recruiting world," Rivals' Greg Smith said. "We heard the buzz about the Ohio State quarterback commit that stuck with his small school despite many suitors wanting him to play his high school ball elsewhere. But hearing about a 6-foot-4, 220-plus pound quarterback with all the tools and seeing it in person are two different things."

St. Clair is expected to be the Buckeyes' clear long-term starter after he arrives on campus. The question is whether he can win the job right away or if one of Air Noland, Devin Brown, or Julian Sayin will earn the spot next offseason. St. Clair has an NFL-ready build already, but obviously it'll take some time for him to learn the playbook and adjust to bigger, faster players all around him.