Like it or not, Barrett is back, ready to prove doubters wrong
It seems as if J.T. Barrett has been around forever.
The Ohio State quarterback understands that can be a good thing or a bad thing. He has seen enough in his five years on campus to be unfazed by chatter around him, and he’s unflappable by nature.
But Barrett also knows that fans aren’t always enamored with the familiar.
“I read something the other day that was hilarious,” he said Thursday after the second day of spring practice. “It said J.T. Barrett has been at Ohio State longer than Bill Snyder has been the head coach (at Kansas State).
“We live in an era when everybody wants something new and something fresh. When the new iPhone 7 comes out, everybody wants to get that because it’s the new and latest thing. I’m not the new, latest thing.”
Few Ohio State players have been as accomplished as Barrett, who will be the Buckeyes’ only threetime captain. He shared the 2016 Chicago Tribune’s Silver Football Award given to the Big Ten’s top player and has the Ohio State record for career touchdowns with 100.
But Barrett, who always has been obsessed with winning rather than statistics, has never been on the field to capture the biggest prizes. He watched the 2014 national title run from a scooter after breaking his ankle against Michigan. The Buckeyes came up short of championships the past two years.
After Ohio State’s embarrassing 31-0 loss to Clemson in a College Football Playoff semifinal, Barrett, as is often the case for quarterbacks, was targeted by critics for much of the blame.
Barrett graduated in December and considered turning pro. But the feedback he got from the NFL wasn’t glowing, and Barrett couldn’t stomach the thought of leaving Ohio State on a sour note. He’d never been shut out at any level in his career.
“It was really hard to leave Ohio State when that was the worst game I’ve ever been a part of,” he said.
Still, some fans are ready to turn the page to the next quarterback