And then there was one. Just two years ago, J.T. Barrett was considered a backup to Braxton Miller, but took over for him after a shoulder injury took away Miller’s junior season.
Barrett then suffered a season-ending shoulder injury himself near the end of the season, which brought on third-string superstar Cardale Jones, who led the Buckeyes to the national championship. This led to everyone believing Barrett would begin the 2015 season as a backup, this time to Jones, which is exactly what happened.
However, both Miller and Jones have moved on to the NFL and the quarterback position is there for Barrett’s taking. In fact, Barrett, who took over the starting role from Jones midway through the 2015 season, was named the starting quarterback following the team’s spring practices that wrapped up last week.
“You know,” Mickey Marotti, the team’s director of performance, said in a story published by The Columbus Dispatch. “You know he’s the quarterback, he’s going to be the guy. … There’s no question about it.”
Barrett competed with freshman Torrance Gibson and junior Justin Cook, but ultimately won the job that was already his to lose. This doesn’t come as a surprise after the great season he had in 2015.
J.T. Barrett threw for 992 yards and 11 touchdowns, while rushing for 682 yards and 11 touchdowns on the season. This happened in just 11 games on the season and he will likely be asked to carry the load many times in the 2016 season after losing Jones, Miller, running back Ezekiel Elliott, and wide receiver Mike Thomas.
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*Featured Photo (above) credit to USA TODAY Sports
