JT Barrett 4-1-1

Submitted by EGD on

With reports [Edit: SUGGESTING] that Braxton Miller [MAY] not be in uniform for The Game this season, or possibly any of Ohio State's other games, for that matter, and with backup QB extraordinaire Kenny Guiton having graduated, many mgousers are asking, "who's the backup?"  The answer, most likely, is redshirt freshman JT Barrett, a 4-start athlete recruit from Texas coming off a 2012 ACL tear.  Here are a few resources on Barrett:

1) Columbus Dispatch blog post from this morning, in which an OSU assistant does a Fred Jackson routine on Barret's skill set and then says, "you don't need a howitzer to succeed in college."  Also, Barrett "is the kind of kid who befriends cafeteria workers and special-needs students," which sadly seems to make him unique among his teammates.  

2) JT Barret's Rivals profile, which has a bunch of dumb football stuff and a photo of him not even smiling.  Come on, JT, you 'spose to be a quarterback!

3) Eleven Warriors article, which has an embedded clip of Barret's junior year high school highlights, a bunch of coach quotes, and a really big color photo.   

It is also not outside the realm of possibility that OSU's backup will instead be Cardale "I ain't come to play school" Jones.  But all you really need from him is his Twitter handle: @cardalejones

Go Blue.

karpodiem

August 19th, 2014 at 10:21 AM ^

Not convinced that Miller will be out for the season until the kickoff happens and he's still on the sideline. Dude is like T-1000, just keeps coming back.

carlos spicywiener

August 19th, 2014 at 10:22 AM ^

With reports appearing to confirm that Braxton Miller will not be in uniform for The Game this season, or any of Ohio State's other games, for that matter

Stopped reading there. Huge assumption.

WolvinLA2

August 19th, 2014 at 11:27 AM ^

No.  Even if he's not out for the season, it's still very likely his back up needs to play significant time this year (which has been the case every year with Miller) so it's still important info.  If he injured his shoulder making a routine throw, he's not going to be 100% at any point this year.

maize-blue

August 19th, 2014 at 10:30 AM ^

Whoever they deterimine to be the guy, he will probably be a scramble type dude who will be a P.I.T.A. to tackle. I don't know if will be any easier without Miller, I never feared his throwing anyway.

LSAClassOf2000

August 19th, 2014 at 10:30 AM ^

“J.T.’s stats are not what you would call superstar stats, but it’s the hidden yards that you really can’t see from statistics,” Rider coach Jim Garfield told The Dispatch. “He just kept the chains moving. He kept our defense on the field."

I certainly hope that's just a mistype of a misspeak, otherwise "hidden yards" and "keeping our defense on the field" somehow make sense when put together and "kept the chains moving" is the statement that makes you scratch your head a bit. 

In all seriousness though, I think there was an article elsewhere in the last day or so where Herman came out and said that he thought the offense moved better with Barrett in there, highlighting completions on short and mid-range passing and his reads on runs. Herman also did praise the effort of Cardale Jones as well, of course. 

Of course, whether or not we see Barrett depends in part perhaps on an announcement yet to be made regarding Miller. We might want to wait for official word on that. 

Blue in Yarmouth

August 19th, 2014 at 10:32 AM ^

But if you can honestly say that you think the majority of football players around the country make friends with cafeteria workers and special needs kids I think you're being disingenuous. I remember what it was like to be in my late teens and early twenties and though I never took part in making fun of those less fortunate then me, I also didn't go out of my way to befriend them. That's a great quality to have whether you go to OSU or UM. 

EGD

August 19th, 2014 at 11:06 AM ^

Yeah.  Sigh.

It's a difficult issue, though, because I read the statement as kind of a microaggression.  I know he meant it as a credit to Barrett, and you are correct that the credit is justly deserved, but I interpreted it as the coach saying, in essence, that he was really proud of the player because look--he even associates with those people.

 

 

readyourguard

August 19th, 2014 at 10:37 AM ^

Best of luck to Miller but I'm not convinced he's injured that seriously. There's been an awful lot of talk about missing the season before the kid even saw a doctor.

charblue.

August 19th, 2014 at 10:50 AM ^

is just an injury scare, the problem for the Buckeyes is worrying about whether he might indeed suffer a hit or simply throw his shoulder out of joint after the season gets underway with the entire offense resting on his health. For them, the quarterbacking issue becomes more complicated than if Miller is out now and you can plan on that. 

That's why I don't think it matters much what the news is today. Either way, Miller is going to be an issue for them going foward, starting or not. And the rest of the league and their schedule will simply adapt and change how they defense their offense based on his availability. 

Given their history, I figure the Buckeyes find a way to win because that's what they do. 

charblue.

August 19th, 2014 at 10:50 AM ^

is just an injury scare, the problem for the Buckeyes is worrying about whether he might indeed suffer a hit or simply throw his shoulder out of joint after the season gets underway with the entire offense resting on his health. For them, the quarterbacking issue becomes more complicated than if Miller is out now and you can plan on that. 

That's why I don't think it matters much what the news is today. Either way, Miller is going to be an issue for them going foward, starting or not. And the rest of the league and their schedule will simply adapt and change how they defense their offense based on his availability. 

Given their history, I figure the Buckeyes find a way to win because that's what they do. 

evenyoubrutus

August 19th, 2014 at 10:53 AM ^

Assuming Miller's shoulder is so hurt that he cannot throw at all for the next 4 months, there is still a very real possibility that Meyer will utilize him the way Borges utilized the Denard/Gardner duo when Denard hurt his throwing arm.  The difference is, I think Meyer will have a little more creativity than "let's take Devin out of the game and put in Denard to run so that everyone knows what's coming."

MGoManBall

August 19th, 2014 at 11:00 AM ^

I'll wait to see how the MRI comes back. He was taken off in an ambulance last year and came back the next week. This seems to be an ongoing saga with Braxton Miller's health.

charblue.

August 19th, 2014 at 11:01 AM ^

or occasionally running and  then throwing it is a more likely use of him if he can't be counted on to pass fulltime? What makes him a better running threat when you know he's a running back or when you don't, or when you have them on tape in situations where he could be doing either? 

Is he as fast as a couple of other speedy backs on their depth chart, I don't know. But I don't think Miller's shoulder benefits much from playing running back instead of quarterback, I mean in terms of wear and tear. And if you play him that way, then you prevent him from redshirting and coming back again next year if he's indeed out for the season because of this shoulder problem.

xxxxNateDaGreat

August 19th, 2014 at 11:42 AM ^

If that is really his twitter account, then I hop this kid gets the start, 'cause my god...

 

 

URBS, PLEASE, I AM BEGGING YOU, LET THIS MAN TWEET AGAIN!!

Eastside Maize

August 19th, 2014 at 12:48 PM ^

Some bucks feel they don't need a dynamic QB to win a title and cite their '02 squad as proof. That '02 squad had a stout defense and this version has not played to that level. Brax will be a huge loss if he can't play this year.

charblue.

August 19th, 2014 at 12:50 PM ^

to announce that Miller is out for the season. If there had been a more positive imaging test today, news of that would have been out by now. So, I think the evidence will confirm that he suffered a joint problem in his right shoulder that may require additional surgery and extended healing time. I am hoping that whatever report is released that this problem isn't career threatening. 

He is a great talent and I wish him all the best except when his team plays Michigan. 

Boom Goes the …

August 19th, 2014 at 3:49 PM ^

Barrett looked very similiar to Bellomy in their spring game this year.  Not saying he can't improve, but dang