Barrett went 4-0 against Michigan and was a three-time First Team All-Big Ten selection.
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The list of quarterbacks that have come through Ohio State is long and prestigious, but J.T. Barrett is often skipped over to a degree when talking about the guys who have played the position… but he shouldn’t be.
First of all, anyone who went 4-0 against Michigan is A-okay in my book. Secondly, even though Cardale Jones was the quarterback for the 2014 national championship, the Buckeyes would not be in that position without a freshman Barrett taking over the reins after Braxton Miller’s injury.
Let me remind you who Barrett was as a quarterback at Ohio State.
He got to Columbus in 2013 and redshirted as a freshman. Barrett was expected to be the backup quarterback to senior Braxton Miller in 2014. However, he became the starter after the shoulder injury to Miller.
He went on to throw for 34 touchdowns and 2,900 yards while running for almost 1,000 yards and 11 more touchdowns. Unfortunately, he got hurt in the Michigan game that year, but they were winning when he left the game.
Before the injury, Barrett was listed as a potential Heisman Trophy contender, but ended up finishing fifth in the voting. His injury prevented him from returning during the 2014 season or during the College Football Playoffs, having a successful surgery to officially end his campaign.
As a redshirt sophomore in 2015, Barrett passed for 992 yards, 11 touchdowns, and four interceptions, splitting time with Cardale Jones. As a redshirt junior in 2016, he passed for 2,555 yards, 24 touchdowns, and seven interceptions. As a redshirt senior in 2017, he passed for 3,053 yards, 35 touchdowns, and nine interceptions.
He earned a ton of accolades in his four years as a Buckeye.
Barrett was named Conference Freshman of the Week seven times and received the Big Ten’s Thompson–Randle El Freshman of the Year award. He also received the Big Ten’s Griese–Brees Quarterback of the Year award in 2014, 2016, and 2017. Conference coaches and media named Barrett first-team All-Big Ten in 2014, 2016, and 2017. Barrett earned Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week honors nine times.
Maybe the most important statistic is that Barrett is the only quarterback on either side of the Michigan-Ohio State rivalry to go 4–0 as a starter. He was also the first three-time captain in the history of the Buckeyes football team.
Barrett accumulated more than 25 Ohio State records, including most total yards in a season (3,851) and the second most touchdowns in a season (47), as well as most career passing yards (9,434) and completions (769).
Additionally, he has several Big Ten Conference records, including most career passing touchdowns (104) and total touchdowns (147). He also passed Drew Brees for most career offensive yards, with 12,697.
He didn’t have the arm strength of Dwayne Haskins or the pinpoint accuracy of CJ Stroud, but Buckeye fans should remember the Barrett years fondly.