J.T. Barrett is arguably the most important and best player on Ohio State's football team. On Monday, he was recognized as one of the best in the country.
Barrett found his name among the 18 semifinalists for the 2016 Maxwell Award, given annually to college football's player of the year. He is the lone Buckeye on the list.
Barrett leads the Big Ten with 17 touchdown passes in 2016, compiling a 147.0 passer rating through eight games and only throwing four interceptions. He is completing 63.9 percent of his passes, second-best in the Big Ten. Barrett's 1,675 passing yards is seventh-best in the conference.
Barrett also has 531 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns this season. His six scores are tied with Mike Weber for the team lead.
The 18 semifinalists:
| PLAYER | SCHOOL | pOSITION | YEAR |
|---|---|---|---|
| JONATHAN ALLEN | ALABAMA | DE | SR |
| JALEN HURTS | ALABAMA | QB | FR |
| DESHAUN WATSON | CLEMSON | QB | JR |
| DALVIN COOK | FLORIDA STATE | RB | JR |
| LAMAR JACKSON | LOUISVILLE | QB | SO |
| LEONARD FOURNETTE | LSU | RB | JR |
| JABRILL PEPPERS | MICHIGAN | LB/S | SO |
| MITCH TRUBINSKY | NORTH CAROLINA | QB | JR |
| J.T. BARRETT | OHIO STATE | QB | JR |
| BAKER MAYFIELD | OKLAHOMA | QB | SR |
| DEDE WESTBROOK | OKLAHOMA | WR | SR |
| SAQUON BARKLEY | PENN STATE | RB | SO |
| DONNEL PUMPHREY | SAN DIEGO STATE | RB | SR |
| CHRISTIAN MCCAFFREY | STANFORD | RB | JR |
| TREVOR KNIGHT | TEXAS A&M | QB | SR |
| PATRICK MAHOMES | TEXAS TECH | QB | JR |
| JAKE BROWNING | WASHINGTON | QB | SO |
| LUKE FALK | WASHINGTON STATE | QB | JR |
Three finalists for the Maxwell Award are scheduled to be announced on Nov. 22, with ESPN announcing the winner Dec. 8 as part of its College Football Awards Show.
