COLUMBUS — In March of 2023, Tavien St. Clair was unranked by Rivals.com.

Now, in August of 2024, the Bellefontaine (Ohio) High School quarterback is the top-ranked prospect in the country.

"I'm definitely blessed and excited," St. Clair told Dotting the 'Eyes. "It’s just an amazing opportunity to be recognized as the No. 1 player in the country because every athlete wants to be the best. Being recognized for the work I’ve put in is an amazing honor. It’s something that I didn’t know if I would be able to do at the start of my junior year."

It's been a whirlwind 16 months for St. Clair. His path to national stardom wasn't easy and hasn't been without a few bumps in the road, but from the moment he showed up at the Elite 11 regional camp in Massillon in April 2023, the reaction from anyone who has seen him has been the same.

Wow, he looks different.

Different can be daunting. Different can be alienating. But different can also be transformative.

St. Clair changed from a 6-foot-3, 175-pound sophomore quarterback to a 6-foot-4, 228-pound young man who, according to one person close to his recruitment at Ohio State, "looks like an NFL player right now." That change didn't happen by accident. It's the result of waking up every single day and going to the gym at 5:00 a.m. It's the byproduct of putting his personal life to the side. It's walking away from baseball, a sport he loves, to focus on being the absolute best quarterback and leader he can be for his Chieftain teammates. His coach, Jason Brown, watched the process unfold up close and personal.

"It’s been great to see him continue to hone his craft: mentally and physically," Brown told Dotting the 'Eyes. "Mentally, he has continued to dig into defensive schemes to understand why defenders do what they do. He has been a part of setting pass protections and is learning how to adjust pass pro on the run to put our team in the best possible positions.

"Physically he continues to be a tireless worker in the weight room. He's attacking each workout and leaves the room better than when he showed up each day. [Tavien] leads every day by example and has never once acted differently than he did four years ago, nor has he ever once asked to be treated differently in any way."

It was two months after that Elite 11 wake-up call that St. Clair was offered by Ohio State. He wasted zero time making a college decision, committing to the Buckeyes less than a month later. His announcement was understated, choosing to tell Ryan Day and the rest of the coaches in Columbus about his decision after working out for the Buckeyes during a one-day summer camp. St. Clair wanted to get better, so he worked to do so. Letting himself become enamored by the recruiting process would've only been a distraction on that journey, so he avoided it.

Tavien St. Clair may not be asking anyone to treat him differently, but he is different than many other young prospects in his position. After he committed to Ohio State, he's made zero visits anywhere else but his national recruiting profile began to change, understandably. The Buckeyes put their energies into St. Clair and turned away from recruiting other, higher-ranked players like Michigan five-star Bryce Underwood, for example. Ryan Day tabbing St. Clair as his future quarterback brought a default rankings bump and St. Clair could've put it on cruise control from there.

After breaking school records left and right and becoming a quasi-celebrity around Ohio, St. Clair could've coasted into his offseason.

He didn't do that. He just worked harder. He went to Las Vegas to take part in the NFL's "Next Ones" competition and dominated there, showcasing his talents for the national media for the first time. St. Clair went back to the Elite 11 regional and dominated. He went to the Rivals Camp Series and dominated. Every chance to compete, St. Clair accepted. He spent his entire spring break — his last spring break as a high school student — in Columbus, visiting Ohio State, watching practices and taking part in quarterback meetings with Chip Kelly and Ryan Day.

Choosing to compete, choosing to challenge himself even as his national recruiting profile grew, is central to what makes Tavien St. Clair the new No. 1-ranked prospect in the nation now.

"In my mind doing something just to do it and not because you want to do it is totally wrong," St. Clair said. "It just has no purpose. When I do things I never want to be content with where I’m at. if I’m going to do something I strive to be the best in it. So, throughout this journey, I’ve found that it’s not me against others. It’s just me against me. I’m fighting to be the best version of myself every day and that’s why I think I’ve done well in competitions. I know what I’m capable of and don’t worry about what others do."

Greg Smith, a member of the Rivals.com rankings team who covers the Midwest, saw St. Clair multiple times over the last few months and each viewing left him more impressed than the last. He's well aware of what St. Clair can do now and so are the majority of the national recruiting media that have been awakened by St. Clair's recent exploits.

"This is a very fun example of someone having a meteoric rise in the recruiting world," 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.

"Everything changed for St. Clair from an evaluation standpoint after we got a chance to see him at the Elite 11 regional event in Ohio. When I got back to the car after that event, I had to alert our team that he was a special prospect. The combination of size, arm strength, accuracy and ability to throw on the run is rare. Add how smooth his mechanics are and the general top dog vibes and we are cooking with something here."

From unknown and unranked to the No. 1-ranked prospect in the country, Tavien St. Clair isn't done getting better. He's not taking time off and he's not getting wrapped up in the hype that's now attached to his name. The mission from here is the same as it's always been. Get better. Win for Bellefontaine.

"Tavien continues to operate with a chip on his shoulder," Brown said. "He's still like the young kid fighting for that first offer and he is hungry to be as great as he can be. Even as a 'national name' he continues to be a rising tide in both word and deed."

The old mentality is still driving him to be the best he can be, just as it did when no one knew who he was.

Things have changed for Tavien St. Clair.

But Tavien St. Clair hasn't changed.