Ohio State sent quarterback J.T. Barrett, center Pat Elflein, and middle linebacker Raekwon McMillan as athlete emissaries to Chicago for 2016 Big Ten Media Days.
In the video above, the trio of Buckeye captains sit down with Dave Revsine on BTN Live to discuss expectations facing their team in 2016.
Highlights:
- McMillan, on if 2015 was a successful season: "We're not like most teams in the nation, so when we don't win a national championship we don't feel it's the best year. But we did finish off solid."
- Elflein: "With the circumstances given to us at the end of the [2015 season], I don't think we could've finished better than we did."
- Barrett: "We don't want to lower our expectations because we lost a bunch of guys. .... We are not a rebuilding team. You hear about rebuilding years at some places. That's not Ohio State. ... You going to tell Buckeye Nation, 'Hey, we lost a couple of guys'? ... That's not right."
- Elflein: The expectations [for the 2016 season] remain the same."
- McMillan, on 2015's QB controversy: "It was a kinda weird feeling, not knowing who the quarterback would be on a series basis. If a quarterback made a mistake, we were all looking to see if the next guy came in... but we got clicking at the end of the season, and that's all that matters."
- Elflein said not even he knew who would start at quarterback against Virginia Tech in last season's opener.
- Barrett listed Noah Brown, Dontre WIlson, Corey Smith, and Curtis Samuel as the "the top four guys that are going to help us out" in the passing game.
- Elflein on returning for final season: "It's tough to leave. There's a lot of good things going on here. Every Saturday we get to do the coolest thing in the world, and there's still some things personally I wanted to achieve... I'm glad to be a Buckeye."
- On Elflein's move from guard to center: "Coming back and playing center could be a good marketing tool at the next level."
- McMillan on new coordinator Greg Schiano: "He brings enthusiasm to practice every day. Day in and day out. Even though we're not coached by him individually, he brings enthusiasm to the entire defense... That's what you need from your coaches."
