The hometown of Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett — Wichita Falls, Texas — is a city located in the northern part of the state, roughly 15 miles from the Oklahoma border.
Its population of just over 104,000 would fit comfortably inside Ohio Stadium.
Roughly 2.5 hours southeast, just outside of Dallas, sits the town of DeSoto, Texas. It’s about half the size of Wichita Falls, and it’s also the hometown of Buckeyes’ wide receiver/running back Dontre Wilson.
Both Barrett and Wilson traveled over 1,000 miles from their hometowns to play college football here in Columbus, Ohio. But neither forgets where they came from.
“I’m just a little kid from Wichita Falls, Texas, trying to make the Buckeyes better,” Barrett says. “Definitely something I never dreamed about.”
Despite growing up in football-crazed Texas, neither Barrett nor Wilson grew up as die-hard Longhorns fans. They rooted for them at times, sure, but Barrett said a lot of people in his hometown are actually Texas Tech fans while Wilson says he was actually drawn to Texas’ rival, Oklahoma, because Adrian Peterson was his favorite player growing up.
“We played the same position, I loved the way he ran and he was from Texas and went to Oklahoma,” Wilson said.
But when both became high-profile recruits, the in-state Longhorns were high on the lists for each. It became a real possibility both could wind up playing in one of college football’s best rivalries.
Wilson, a star running back at DeSoto High, received an offer from the Longhorns at Texas’ Junior Day back in 2012. They instantly became one of his top schools, though he ultimately committed to Oregon before flipping to Ohio State.
Barrett was recruited by Texas but was never extended a scholarship offer; the Longhorns offered Tyrone Swoopes in the 2013 class instead. But Barrett’s coach at Rider High School, Jim Garfield, recently told ESPN.com his quarterback desperately wanted to be offered by the home state school.
“[Barrett] had quite a few offers, but I think the one from Texas that he didn’t get, that kind of stoked his coals, so to speak,” Garfield told ESPN.
“It’s a big-time game and it’s a great opponent in Oklahoma, at their place, on the road. That’s why you come to Ohio State.”– Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett
Perhaps it was just a brief vision each had growing up as a kid in Texas, playing against the rival Sooners, but on Saturday night it will become a reality. This won’t happen as Longhorns, of course, but Barrett and Wilson will both suit up for Ohio State when it takes on Oklahoma in primetime.
Barrett is the catalyst of the Buckeyes’ offense now in his third year at the helm. After a sensational redshirt freshman season in which he finished fifth in the Heisman Trophy voting, Barrett was up-and-down a year ago as a sophomore as part of a constant quarterback carousel with Cardale Jones.
He’s back in charge this season, however, and is the unquestioned leader of an Ohio State offense that lost eight starters from 2015. Through two games, Barrett has thrown for 498 yards and six touchdowns against just one interception. He is completing 66 percent of his passes and has three additional touchdowns on the ground.
"I’d say that the game has just slowed down so much more than my redshirt freshman year,” Barrett said. “That’s more just understanding our offense and what we’re trying to do.”
Finally healthy for the first time since his freshman season, Wilson is looking like the big-time recruit everyone thought he would be in college. Now a senior, Wilson has 175 total yards from scrimmage through two games with three touchdowns. He’s averaging 10.1 yards per touch on offense.
“The whole season I feel like I have something to prove,” Wilson said. “I’m always going into every game with a chip on my shoulder. I feel like I left a lot out on the field these past couple of years so all these games are opportunities to make that up.”
A large opportunity looms Saturday, one they perhaps didn't envision back as kids in Texas but are surely glad sits in front of them now. Wilson and Barrett grew up smack in the middle of the Red River Rivalry, but as soon as each decided to commit to Ohio State, playing in that game was no longer an option.
They’ll have to settle for Saturday night in Norman. It is there where the Buckeyes will rely heavily on their pair of Texas natives to try and take down the Sooners.
“It’s a big-time game and it’s a great opponent in Oklahoma, at their place, on the road,” Barrett said. “That’s why you come to Ohio State.”
“I love these big-time games,” Wilson added. “These are the games that get you known and these are the game where the stars really shine.”
