Ohio State QB J.T. Barrett will return for redshirt sophomore season

J.T. Barrett was adamant that he doesn't plan on transferring from Ohio State and neither does Cardale Jones or Braxton Miller.

ARLINGTON, Texas – It’s official. Ohio State is the national champion, and its quarterbacks are sick of speculation about whether they'll transfer. “This is from somebody who is going to be in the competition, I don’t believe anyone is going to transfer,” redshirt freshman quarterback J.T. Barrett told SI.com on Monday night.

In the celebratory postgame locker room, Barrett basically said that Ohio State’s so-called problem with three capable quarterbacks coming back for next season isn’t a problem at all. Ohio State won the title with its third-string quarterback, Cardale Jones, after Barrett and initial starter Braxton Miller suffered season-ending injuries.

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“I’m not leaving,” Barrett said. “I don’t think Braxton is leaving. I don’t think Cardale is leaving. That’s being honest. With that, I mean, it’s just competition. It’s part of football. It’s what we’re about to do.”

Miller told SI.com that he gets asked about transferring “every day.” Jones, a redshirt sophomore, will be hounded with speculation after winning the national title by beating Wisconsin in the Big Ten title game, Alabama in the Sugar Bowl and Oregon in the national title game. Jones and Ted Ginn Sr., his high school coach, have told SI that his goal is to graduate from Ohio State. 

For now, the belief among all three quarterbacks is they’ll be on campus to compete for the starting job this summer. Miller is coming off his second serious shoulder surgery and Barrett is recovering from a fractured ankle. Neither is expected to take significant snaps in spring ball. Barrett reiterated that he expects all of them back: “Now that could change,” he said. “But I can speak for me. I’m not going anywhere.”

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Barrett stressed that there’s a strong camaraderie in the Buckeye quarterback room. He said that Jones supported him all year and he supported Jones after getting hurt. “There is an misunderstanding because people think that quarterbacks should be selfish being that only one can play. But that’s not the case at all.”

He added: “At the end of the day it’s about winning.”