Tavien St. Clair was not at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center for a summer camp Tuesday to be recruited by Ohio State.

The quarterback already knows where he stands with the Buckeyes: He’s the centerpiece of Ohio State’s 2025 recruiting class, a five-star prospect who has blossomed into one of the team's best recruiters and one of the top high schoolers nationwide.

But St. Clair was not at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center to recruit, either. He was there as a success story.

St. Clair was the example, the first in line for each drill that Ohio State coach Ryan Day and offensive coordinator Chip Kelly led. St. Clair showed players such as 2026 Florida five-star Dia Bell and 2026 California four-star Brady Palmer how it's done – throwing on the run, throwing fades to the back of the end zone, finding wide receivers in stride with ease.

St. Clair showed what he believes is the result of hard work at Ohio State’s recruiting camp Tuesday.

As he prepares for his senior season at Bellefontaine High School, St. Clair is the No. 14 player in the 2025 class per 247Sports’ composite rankings. He was No. 234 a year ago. Now he is the third-highest-rated quarterback in the country As a result, St. Clair is one of 20 quarterbacks who will compete in the Elite 11 Finals in Los Angeles next week.

And as he returned to the Ohio State practice field, the place where he committed nearly a year ago and where he will call home starting in January, St. Clair called it a full-circle moment.

“It was big for me, just take a step back, just realize how far I have come in a year, how many relationships I have built and grown,” St. Clair said. “I’ve never doubted my decision, not one time, or regretted it. It’s just been an awesome, awesome opportunity, (an) awesome journey.”

Tavien St. Clair encourages 2026 quarterbacks Dia Bell, Brady Palmer

At OSU's camp, St. Clair served as a mentor to Bell and Palmer.

Throughout drills, St. Clair was side-by-side with Bell, the No. 2 quarterback in the 2026 class. Bell matched St. Clair throw for throw, showing off the poise, strength and accuracy that has led to offers from programs such as Penn State, Texas, LSU, Oregon and Ohio State, which offered him in March.

“He’s just calm,” St. Clair said of Bell. “I think just his presence, you feel his presence a little bit. Really, he just has control. And I think that’s a big thing playing quarterback. You've just got to have control.”

Palmer received an Ohio State offer in April and is the No. 39 quarterback in the country, per 247Sports.

With Palmer and Bell, St. Clair could sense a familiar pressure. He could sense both are “narrowing their lists down” and “trying to show why they’re the best” in the class.

For both Bell and Palmer, St. Clair had the same advice.

“You’re worrying about little things right now that I was at this time,” St. Clair said. “Just like small little things that don't matter. You've just got to take a step back, observe all your options, see what’s the best for you and make a decision.”

St. Clair said he found what was best for him at Ohio State. And that was why he was there Tuesday.

St. Clair wanted to get time on the practice field with Kelly, whom he had not met until after Kelly was hired by Day and the Buckeyes in February.

“I think I’m learning a ton every time I’m here,” St. Clair said. “That’s why I’m here so often. I just want to, you know, learn everything I can about the game, be a student of the game. And I think (Kelly’s) knowledge is out there with anybody in the country. I’m really just trying to take the opportunity to learn everything I can, process it all quicker and really just get a head start.”

Get more Ohio State football news by listening to our podcasts

 cgay@dispatch.com 

@_ColinGay

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State football: QB commit Tavien St. Clair on recruiting camp