EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsCOLUMBUS, Ohio -- Stephen Fahey finally got to see the Buckeyes -- and his favorite player, Ohio State quarterback Rex Kern -- play in person at the Rose Bowl on New Year's Day 1971."I couldn't take my eyes off the guy when he was playing," Stephen said. "I loved the way he just seemed in control of the offense. He wasn't the biggest guy, but I loved watching No. 10. I loved the way he looked when he had his helmet off and stuff. He just was like he was having the greatest time."That day, Heisman Trophy winner Jim Plunkett broke Stephen's heart, leading Stanford to a 27-17 victory.But this Saturday -- 55 years later -- Stephen could watch his own son quarterback the Buckeyes in Southern California.With starting quarterback Julian Sayin sidelined "indefinitely" by an injury to his throwing arm, Luke Fahey is competing to make his first start for Ohio State against USC at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.Coach Ryan Day hasn't announced whether Luke or sophomore Tavien St. Clair will start in Sayin's place. But Luke, a true freshman, replaced Sayin after he was injured two weeks ago at Indiana."He has a moxie about him. He has a competitiveness about him," Day said. "We're always looking for quarterbacks who are just obsessed with being great, and I think when you get around Luke, you can quickly see how important it is to him."The Fahey family's ties to Ohio State date back to the 19th century.In 1898, Luke's great-grandfather, Edward Gorman, enrolled at Ohio State, where he met his first wife. Her brother, Walter "Rink" Barrington, quarterbacked the Buckeyes from 1906-08.Gorman later remarried but died when Stephen's mother, Rosemary, was only 2. The family's love for Ohio State endured, with Buckeyes games always playing on the living room radio."It was always her dream of going to Ohio State," Stephen said. "Ohio State was everything to her."Rosemary eventually enrolled at Ohio State, where she met Stephen's father, Robert, who had served in the Korean War. Both worked in the university library.They married a year later, in 1958. After Robert graduated with an engineering degree, he took a job in California, where Stephen was born."But I grew up with it being understood from the earliest days that, yeah, OK, SC, UCLA, that's great, but Ohio State's your school, buddy," Stephen said. "You're going to watch Ohio State here. That's your priority."Stephen passed that allegiance on to his son. He remembers watching Ohio State win the national championship following the 2014 season with Luke, then just 7 years old."If I had sole naming rights, you can bet that it would've been Rex Fahey wearing number 13 right now," Stephen said, referring to Luke's jersey number.Like Kern, Luke stands just 5-foot-11.But Chad Johnson, Luke's high school coach at Mission Viejo, calls him "the best quarterback" he has coached, ahead of former NFL first-round pick Josh Rosen and DJ Uiagalelei.Luke helped lead Mission Viejo to a state championship as a sophomore and passed for more than 7,000 yards during his high school career.Johnson trusted Luke so much that he let him call every play during seven-on-seven competition before his senior season. That fall, Luke routinely changed plays, protections and route concepts at the line of scrimmage."He's the total package," Johnson said. "There's no weakness in his game. ... The only knock on him is that he's not 6-3."His height didn't deter Stanford or Indiana and coach Curt Cignetti from recruiting him. Eventually, the Faheys' dream school made its move, too.Despite his lifelong love for the Buckeyes, Stephen hadn't been to Columbus in decades. Then Ohio State invited Luke and his family for a recruiting visit.While there, they visited the house where Rosemary grew up and a cemetery where several relatives were buried.They also went to Ryan Day's office.Day told Luke that although he was short for a quarterback and wasn't a five-star recruit, Ohio State wanted to offer him a scholarship."He looked at him and goes, 'This is why I like you, because of work ethic, you're a winner,'" Stephen recalled.Luke signed with Ohio State, then beat out St. Clair for the backup job during preseason camp.When Sayin injured his throwing arm during the fourth quarter at Indiana, Luke entered facing second-and-28. He scrambled for 8 yards and drew a late-hit penalty that gave Ohio State a first down.He finished 0-for-2 passing, but the Buckeyes held on for a 19-15 victory."He's got confidence, he's got athletic ability, he's a competitive kid," Day said. "I don't think the moment was too big for him."Now, Luke could make his first college start near the Southern California home where he grew up watching the Buckeyes with his father.Stephen plans to be at the Coliseum on Saturday. His father died 34 years ago. His mother passed away in 2020.Stephen can only imagine what his parents would think of their grandson playing quarterback for the Buckeyes, more than a century after the family's Ohio State connections began."It would be one of those moments like, wow," Stephen said. "We just expected that to be our alma mater, Steve. We didn't expect that your son would have another chapter."
