J.T. Barrett will look to lead Ohio State to its third Playoff in four years in 2017.
With some unfinished business and a general love for his school in mind, Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett announced Wednesday that he will return for his redshirt senior season in 2017.
Originally thrust into a starting role as a redshirt freshman due to a Braxton Miller injury just weeks prior to the start of the Buckeyes' eventual national championship season in 2014, Barrett has gone on to be one of the best quarterbacks in the program's history. He's a two-time winner of the Big Ten's top quarterback award, including for this season.
Though Barrett's 2016 campaign was a step back by most measures from his first two years, he was still one of the nation's more productive quarterbacks. He completed 61.5 percent of passes for 2,555 yards, throwing 24 touchdowns compared to seven interceptions. He also ran for 845 yards and nine more scores.
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) January 4, 2017
The postseason undoubtedly left a sour taste in the Wichita Falls, Texas, native's mouth, as he had a brutal 127-yard, two-interception day in Ohio State's 31-0 loss to Clemson in the Fiesta Bowl.
Barrett was injured for the Buckeyes' championship in the inaugural College Football Playoff, so he should be very hungry coming into 2017. With a new quarterbacks coach in tow in Ryan Day, the senior should be right at the top of many award watch lists.
