Tavien St. Clair, Bellefontaine head coach Jason Brown join The Tim May Show
BELLEFONTAINE — Tavien St. Clair is a name slips smoothly into a conversation like that of a British soap opera character.
But there’s nothing fictional about the quarterback from Bellefontaine, hitherto known as the highest city in Ohio in terms of altitude [1,549 feet atop Campbell Hill], the place where the first concrete paved street in the world was poured in 1891, and home of McKinley St., which at a mere 15 feet long is considered the shortest thoroughfare at least in the United States, if not the world.
St. Clair, at 6 feet 3-1/2, 214 pounds and still growing while he’s throwing headed into his junior year, is the latest headline-maker of which the city can boast. That’s because a few weeks ago, he committed to be part of the 2025 Ohio State recruiting class, choosing the Buckeyes over Alabama.
Oh, Alabama under the guidance of coach Nick Saban did turn his head, but Ohio State and Ryan Day always had his heart.
“I think it’s a little bit different with me because I grew up a Buckeye fan,” St. Clair said. “It means a little bit more to get the opportunity to play for Ohio State.”
He was reacting to a question during the latest Tim May Show on Lettermen Row, being reminded that Dylan Raiola, headed into his junior year in high school a year ago, was committed to Ohio State. But Raiola now plans to sign with Georgia.
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“When I say I’m fully committed I mean that,” St. Clair said. “There will be no other.”
He said he plans to shut down most of the noise in the next several weeks and focus on leading the Chieftains back to the OHSAA Division III playoffs like last year. His college plans aside, anyone laying eyes on him year ago could see possible greatness on the rise. Count Bellefontaine head coach Jason Brown, an assistant coach back then, among the soothsayers.
“I saw him running around here throwing the ball, I think he was in the fifth grade, and all the guys were talking to me and telling me, ‘Watch this young man throw,’ “ Brown said during the show. “So I walked out, watched, it made me stops in my tracks, even back then, because clearly he was gifted as a thrower.
“Now it’s been great to watch all the hard work and the effort that he’s put into his whole being; not just his physical presence but his mental game, his faith, and his family and our community. It’s been a real pleasure to watch.”
Catch that and the entire conversation with Tavien St. Clair and Jason Brown on the latest edition of The Tim May Show on Lettermen Row.
