Who is the next Ohio State Buckeye to have their number retired?
By Coop Ledford
QB Terrelle Pryor (2008-2010): Terrelle Pryor was the top QB in the 2008 recruiting class, and still is Ohio State’s highest-ranked recruit of all-time. Pryor was an absolute playmaker and especially stood out in Jim Tressel’s offense. Pryor led OSU to a Rose Bowl win and a Sugar Bowl win finished with the sixth most passing yards, and the second-most passing touchdowns in school history.
Pryor’s legacy of course was tarnished when he was among the five Ohio State football players that exchanged memorabilia for free tattoos, an NCAA violation that ultimately led to Jim Tressel’s resignation and a bowl ban in 2012. That alone pretty much eliminates any possibility of Pryor having his #2 honored.
QB/WR Braxton Miller (2011-2015): Miller had one of the most interesting careers in Ohio State history. He was recruited out of Huber Heights, Ohio, by Jim Tressel, and quickly became one of the most explosive quarterbacks in college football.
He was the starting quarterback for the majority of the dreadful 6-7 2011 season under interim head coach Luke Fickell. He then led OSU to 24 straight wins, with back-to-back undefeated regular seasons in 2012 and 2013, before ultimately losing the Big Ten Championship in 2013 to Michigan State, followed by an Orange Bowl loss to Clemson.
Despite the two postseason losses Miller was still a star, passing for a combined 39 touchdowns in those two seasons, and added 25 more rushing touchdowns. Miller moved to WR for the 2015 season, after he missed the entire 2014 season after tearing his labrum less than one month before the start of the season. The injury paved the way for redshirt freshman QB J.T. Barrett.
QB J.T. Barrett (2014-2017): In 2014 many Ohio State fans were devastated by the news of Braxton Miller’s injury. Not much was known about J.T. Barrett. Who was he, and how could he possibly replace Braxton Miller? Barrett went on to have one of the most legendary careers in not only Ohio State history but also Big Ten history.
In 2014 Barrett went 11-1 as a starter, passing for 34 touchdowns, and rushing for 11 more. He was injured during the Michigan game in 2014, which opened the door for Cardale Jones to lead the Buckeyes during an unforgettable three-game stretch including a National Championship win.
While Barrett was not the quarterback in the National Championship game, there would not have been a title without him. After recovering from the injury, Barrett and Jones both started games in 2015. But it was Barrett who eventually took over the starting position once again, a position he held until the end of his career in 2017.
Under Barrett (including games in which he was injured), the Buckeyes won two Big Ten Championships, a Fiesta Bowl, a Sugar Bowl, a Cotton Bowl, appeared in one more College Football Playoff, and won a National Championship.
He is one of the most decorated Ohio State players of all-time as he was named to the First-Team All-Big Ten three times and also won the Big Ten’s Griese-Brees Quarterback of the Year Award three times.
The Big Ten Network named Barrett as the lone quarterback on their All-Decade team. J.T. Barrett holds Big Ten records for most career passing touchdowns, career touchdowns, and most career offensive yards. While Barrett received a lot of criticism from fans throughout his career for his style of play, his #16 needs to be honored. Breaking records held by Drew Brees is no small feat, and J.T.’s school and conference records will likely remain in-tact for quite some time.