Ohio State’s Hall of Fame class for 2026 has a familiar name sitting at the top of the list: JT Barrett.
The Buckeyes football great headlines a group of nine former Ohio State athletes who will be honored this year, and Barrett’s résumé is the kind that jumps off the page. He arrived in Columbus in 2014 and quickly found himself in the middle of the action after Braxton Miller re-tore his labrum in his shoulder during a training camp practice. Barrett burned his redshirt and stepped into the starting role.
He didn’t waste the chance. In 11 games that season, Barrett threw for 2,834 yards and a career-high 34 touchdowns against 10 interceptions, while completing 64 percent of his passes.
Ohio State went 11-1 that year, and Barrett helped steer the Buckeyes through one of their biggest wins of the season against Michigan before suffering a catastrophic injury of his own. With Ohio State leading 28-21, he broke his ankle, and Cardale Jones took over.
Barrett returned to the lineup as a regular starter in 2016, then came back again for his redshirt senior season in 2017 for one last shot at a national championship. That title never came, but his run in scarlet and gray ended as one of the most decorated careers in program history.
By the time he was done, Barrett had piled up 9,434 passing yards, 104 touchdowns, and only 30 interceptions. He completed 63.5 percent of his passes and finished with a 38-6 record. Those numbers still stand at the top of the Ohio State record book: most completions with 769, most passing yards with 9,434, and most passing touchdowns with 104.
His awards list matches the production. Barrett won the Kellen Moore Award as QB of the year in 2017, earned Third-Team All-American honors in 2014, was Big Ten Most Valuable Player in 2016, and took home Big Ten Quarterback of the Year honors in 2014, 2016, and 2017. He was also the Big Ten Freshman of the Year in 2014 and made All-Big Ten in 2014, 2016, and 2017.
The rest of the 2026 class includes 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), and Stan White (Football, 1969-71).
Barrett’s place in the Hall feels like a fitting capstone for a career that came with pressure, injuries, and big moments - and delivered anyway.
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