J.T. Barrett Primed to Become Best Quarterback in Ohio State History
Ohio State has had some great quarterbacks, will J.T. become the best?
Years from now after Urban Meyer is finished coaching at Ohio State, he will admit that his biggest mistake was starting Cardale Jones over J.T Barrett to start the 2015 season.
No one should blame him. How do you sit a guy who just helped you win a national championship? With all the returning starters, the offense should have been humming from the first snap. It didn’t work out that way. Such is life in college sports.
The 2016 season will be different in many ways. New starters, tougher schedule, playing the role of the hunter again and to Buckeye Nation’s relief, no quarterback controversy.
Despite Barrett’s accomplishments, he will not be a preseason Heisman favorite. Clemson’s Deshaun Watson and Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield will lead the list. With Iowa’s C.J. Beathard, Northwestern’s Justin Jackson and Penn State’s Saquon Barkley back, Barrett may not even be picked as the preseason Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year.
None of this matters. Should Barrett carry the 2016 team to its fullest potential, Barrett will not only go down as the best quarterback in Ohio State history, he will be one of the greatest Buckeye players ever.
Barrett has played in just 23 games and is on pace to shatter all of the important quarterback records at Ohio State. The chart shows how he stacks up against some of the better Buckeye quarterbacks over the last 38 years.
| Player | Games | Passing Yards | Completion % | TDs | INTs | Rushing | Record Vs TTUN | NFL Draft |
| Art Schlichter | 48 | 7547 | 52.3 | 50 | 46 | 1303 | 2-2 | Round 1 |
| Bobby Hoying | 45 | 7232 | 58 | 57 | 35 | -81 | 1-2 | Round 3 |
| Joe Germaine | 37 | 6370 | 59.2 | 56 | 20 | -276 | 1-2 | Round 4 |
| Troy Smith | 32 | 5720 | 62.7 | 54 | 13 | 1168 | 3-0 | Round 5 |
| Braxton Miller | 36 | 5295 | 59.3 | 52 | 17 | 3315 | 2-1 | TBD |
| J.T. Barrett | 23 | 3826 | 64.0 | 45 | 14 | 1620 | 2-0 | TBD |
His 64-percent completion percentage is already the best among this select group. He needs 13 touchdown passes to surpass Hoying’s 57 touchdowns, 3721 yards passing to top Schlichter’s 7547 career-yards passing and 1695 rushing yards to break Miller’s 3315 yards rushing. He won’t need another 25 games to break any of these records.
Barrett can also tie Troy Smith in beating Michigan three-straight seasons. That alone puts him in sacred territory. My bet is more will be on the line in this game besides annual bragging rights.
Amazingly, none of these quarterbacks have won a national championship as the starting quarterback. No one knows what would have happened if Barrett did not get hurt against Michigan in 2014, but he is still chasing the goal of leading the team to a championship. That’s a good thing.
Is there better motivation for Barrett than proving he can lead another young team to a Big Ten title and possibly more? Coupled with payback against Michigan State and the head-to-head game against Mayfield on September 17 in Norman, the 2016 season is loaded with moments for Barrett to shine.
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While Barrett’s accomplishments on the field will go a long way in determining how well the 2016 plays, the one area he needs to improve is his leadership off of it. His OVI on October 31 and subsequent suspension certainly set back the offense that was beginning to find its rhythm heading into November.
Championships are often won in part by the work and effort put in before the season begins including maintaining eligibility, staying out of trouble with the law and complying with NCAA rules. Barrett cannot monitor this by himself, but he has to step up to ensure there are few, if any, infractions.
It is a stretch to say the 2016 team can fly under the radar. No Meyer led team will ever be a serious underdog, but most are expecting the Buckeyes to have a slightly down season this year. Ohio State will likely be snubbed in all the preseason polls in favor of Clemson, Oklahoma, Alabama and Michigan.
More buckeyes: Ohio State Football: Will Dontre Wilson Finally Hit His Stride?
All of that is understandable considering the massive losses to the NFL, except Barrett is the equalizer. An elite quarterback trumps inexperience. Barrett is the single reason why Ohio State will win the Big Ten and earn a spot in the third College Football Playoff. In doing so, Barrett will cement his legacy as the best quarterback to ever play for Ohio State.