Ohio State's 2026 Hall-of-Fame class is headlined by Buckeyes football legend JT Barrett.
The 2026 Ohio State Buckeyes Hall-of-Fame class is officially announced, and the headliner is Buckeye legend JT Barrett.
Barrett joins a list of eight other historic Buckeyes who will go down as some of the greats ever to don the Scarlet and Gray.
Barrett got to Ohio State in 2014 and wasted no time becoming the Buckeyes' quarterback. In a series of unfortunate events for then-quarterback Braxton Miller, who re-tore his labrum in his shoulder during a training camp practice, Barrett burned his redshirt and took over the starting job.
He certainly took advantage of the opportunity that he was presented. Barrett played in 11 games for Ohio State in that memorable 2014 season, and in it, he threw for 2,834 yards and a career-best 34 touchdowns to 10 interceptions. He finished with a 64 percent completion rate throughout the entire year.
It was that 2014 season that Barrett led the Buckeyes to an 11-1 record, including a hard-fought victory over Michigan in which he himself suffered a catastrophic injury. While leading 28-21, Barrett broke his ankle, opening the door to the birth of "12 gauge," Cardale Jones.
That injury made things a bit awkward for Barrett in 2015 as he and Jones split time at the quarterback position, and he finished the year throwing for less than 1,000 yards.
In 2016, it was back to the status quo. Barrett was a regular starter in his redshirt junior season. He decided in 2017 to return to Columbus for his redshirt senior season with one more opportunity to chase a National Championship. They didn't get it done, but it marked the end of a historic career for Barrett.
He finished his time at Ohio State with 9,434 yards, 104 touchdowns, and just 30 interceptions. Over his career, he completed 63.5 percent of his passes and had a 38-6 career record.
Barrett is the most prolific passer in Ohio State history. He has the record for most completions (769), yards (9,434), and touchdowns (104).
Throughout his career, he won the following awards:
- Kellen Moore Award (QB of the year) - 2017
- Third-Team All-American - 2014
- Big Ten Most Valuable Player - 2016
- Big Ten Quarterback of the Year - 2014, 2016, 2017
- Big Ten Freshman of the Year - 2014
- All-Big Ten - 2014, 2016, 2017
Barrett played in the golden era of Ohio State football, and when the program needed him the most, he answered the call. For that, he will be remembered forever at The Ohio State University.
The other eight athletes joining him in the Hall-of-Fame this year are Nick Swisher (Baseball 2000-02), Katie Borchers (W. Cross Country & Track 2012-15), Diane Dixon (W Track & Field, 1983), Jincy Dunne (W Hockey, 2017-20), Danielle Meyer (W Volleyball, 2004-07), Oyesade Olatoye (W Track & Field, 2015-21), Chris Sanders (M Track & Field/Football, 1992-94), Stan White (Football, 1969-71).
