COLUMBUS, Ohio —One of the most accomplished quarterbacks in Ohio State history is officially headed for another Buckeye honor.
J.T. Barrett will be inducted into the Ohio State Athletics Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2026, the university announced Friday.
Barrett is one of nine former Buckeye standouts who will be enshrined this fall. The class also includes Katie Borchers, Diane Dixon, Jincy Dunne, Danielle Meyer, Oyesade Olatoye, Chris Sanders, Nick Swisher and Stan White. The Ohio State Athletics Hall of Fame was established in 1977 and has inducted 510 athletes, coaches and administrators through 2025.
For Barrett, the honor adds another distinction to a career that already ranks among the most decorated in Ohio State football history. Barrett played for the Buckeyes from 2014 through 2017 and became one of the most productive quarterbacks in both Ohio State and Big Ten history.
He started 44 games for the Buckeyes and won 38 of them, a school record. Four of those victories came against Michigan, giving Barrett a perfect 4-0 record against the Wolverines during his Ohio State career. He also helped lead Ohio State to two Big Ten championships, including the 2014 title during his redshirt freshman season and another conference championship in 2017.
Barrett’s career numbers tell much of the story.
He set 39 records during his time at Ohio State and in the Big Ten, including 34 school records and five conference records. Among those were Big Ten career marks for total offensive yards (12,697), touchdown passes (104) and touchdowns responsible for (147).
At Ohio State, Barrett finished his career as the program’s all-time leader in completion percentage (63.5), passing touchdowns (104), passing yards (9,434) and quarterback rushing yards (3,263).
His ability to impact the game with both his arm and his legs made Barrett one of the most dynamic quarterbacks in the country during his time in Columbus. He scored 43 rushing touchdowns during his Ohio State career, which ranks fifth in program history behind Pete Johnson, Keith Byars, Eddie George and Ezekiel Elliott.
Barrett was also a two-time Top 10 finisher in the Heisman Trophy voting and finished his career with 147 passing and rushing touchdowns, fourth-most in NCAA history at the time. He was one of only two Division I quarterbacks to finish a career with at least 100 touchdown passes and 40 rushing touchdowns.
Beyond the statistics, Barrett became one of the defining leaders of the Urban Meyer era at Ohio State. He took over the starting job as a redshirt freshman in 2014 following Braxton Miller’s season-ending injury and helped guide the Buckeyes through one of the most memorable seasons in program history.
Although a broken ankle suffered in the regular-season finale against Michigan State kept Barrett out of Ohio State’s College Football Playoff run, his impact on that championship season remained significant.
Barrett returned to the starting quarterback role in 2015 and continued to be one of the faces of the program through the 2017 season. He graduated from Ohio State in December 2016 with a degree in communication.
Now, nearly a decade after his final season in Columbus, Barrett will officially join the list of Buckeye legends honored in the Ohio State Athletics Hall of Fame. The university has not yet announced the official dates or details for the Class of 2026 induction ceremonies.
