On his first day of classes this semester, J.T. Barrett noticed life was a little different for him now that he’s the starting quarterback at Ohio State.
"First day of classes, teacher calls your name to see if you’re here and everybody looks back and is like, ‘J.T.’s in class?’” Barrett recalled after Wednesday’s practice. "Things like that, walking to class and people like, ‘Hey, J.T., 'sup?’ and I’m like, ‘What’s up, man?’"
It didn't take long for Barrett to become a household name.
When starting quarterback Braxton Miller was ruled out for the season with a shoulder injury, Barrett was thrust into a starting role despite not taking a snap in a competitive game since midway through his senior year of high school.
He went from someone the average person in Columbus wouldn't know to probably the most familiar face in town aside from his head coach in a flash and was given the near-impossible task of replacing the two-time Big Ten Player of the Year in Miller.
Yet somehow, someway, Barrett has remained level-headed and calm throughout the whole process in guiding the 13th-ranked Buckeyes to a 4-1 start to the season.
“It’s probably the things that we go through in practice, our preparation and things that in any situation you have to be calm and under control and know what’s going on,” he said. “Have that awareness about yourself.”
He sounds confident when he speaks and when you watch him play for Ohio State, he certainly doesn’t look like a freshman is supposed to look.
It wasn’t always like that, though. Urban Meyer said Barrett was wide-eyed before his first start against Navy.
“Oh my gosh, yeah, but he’s fine now,” Meyer said. “First game, he had the typical Alex Smith look — Alex was the same way. But he’s fine now.”
Barrett’s numbers this year are off the charts. He’s thrown for 1,354 yards and 17 touchdowns against five interceptions. He also ranks third in the country in passing efficiency.
Meyer and offensive coordinator Tom Herman have talked extensively in previous weeks about Barrett’s ability to get Ohio State’s playmakers involved, too, and the numbers certainly back that up. Four players have double-digit catches and five different guys have over 100 yards receiving.
“He definitely has a lot of weapons around him to help balance it out and not put so much pressure on him,” running back Rod Smith said. “He definitely has a good supporting cast that can help him execute and make plays, but he’s doing a real good job at that, though.”
Barrett's philosophy on the quarterback position doesn't hurt, either.
"What we say in the offensive room, the quarterback room, is ‘You can’t go broke taking a profit,'" Barrett said. "Don’t try to get too greedy and just take what they give you.”
With the injury to Miller, Barrett was also given the keys to Ohio State's high-powered offensive engine. So far, he's decided to have fun with it.
And while the game on the field hasn't changed much for the Wichita Falls, Texas native, getting used to the attention away from the field will take some time.
“It’s different, but I’ll try and talk to them and tell them I’m just a normal person playing quarterback at Ohio State," Barrett said. "I’m not anybody special and don’t try to be a celebrity.”
Sure, he may just be a normal guy playing quarterback at Ohio State, but he's also in the middle of a record-breaking season.
