Coming from Texas, J.T. Barrett didn't exactly grow up watching The Game like others on Ohio State's roster did.
However, once he committed to play for Ohio State, it didn't take long for the kid from Wichita Falls, Texas to develop a firm disdain for Michigan football.
Speaking at the final media availability before he plays his final game against the Wolverines, Barrett said he first felt the bitterness of the rivalry shortly after committing to play for Urban Meyer's Buckeyes.
“It was really kind of odd. I remember I committed April 18th. I remember it was like a week later, there was a guy who committed to The Team Up North who had an Ohio State letter, and he burned it. Immediately, I had this deep hate that just kind of flowed up inside of me," Barrett said. "I was like, ‘Why would you do that?’ I got letters from The Team Up North, and I didn’t burn them. That is kind of whack. It happened really quickly as far as the hatred.”
The player Barrett referenced is Logan Tuley-Tillman, who has transferred twice since committing to the Wolverines in the 2013 class. Tuley-Tillman was dismissed from the Michigan program in 2015 after being charged with multiple felonies. He transferred to Akron before landing at UTEP.
The letter burned by Tuley-Tillman is what started J.T. Barrett's disdain for Michigan. Twitter/@LoganTillman
While Barrett's disdain for Michigan is still burning, the Ohio State quarterback added on Tuesday that there is a mutual respect amongst the schools, something he learned in his very first game against the Wolverines.
In the 2014 edition of The Game, Barrett suffered a severe ankle injury that sidelined him for Ohio State's postgame run that ended with a national title. As he laid on the Ohio Stadium turf being tended to by trainers, then-Michigan quarterback Devin Gardner walked over in support before Barrett was carted off.
That moment still sticks with Barrett, who said injury is never an outcome you want to see, no matter how much one side might dislike the other.
"I think that despite the hatred and dislike between the two programs and the two fan bases, at the end of the day, it’s not you wish somebody to be hurt, that’s not cool. And I think everybody understands that," Barrett said. "And I appreciate the sportsmanship that he showed that day, just like I said, understanding that you don’t want to see somebody injured in this game. You want a hard-fought game, but you don’t wish that upon people."
One more hard-fought game and a victory on Saturday over Michigan could put Barrett in the record books once again.
No quarterback in the 113-year history of the rivalry has won four games as a starter in the series, and Barrett will have the opportunity to complete a perfect 4-0 career in The Game on Saturday in Ann Arbor.
Wide receiver Parris Campbell, who has been involved in a number of Barrett's record-breaking performances over the years, said Tuesday that the chance to be a part of another milestone is a unique opportunity.
"He’s broken so many records this season. I think the biggest thing that everyone notices in the locker room and on the field is his leadership," Campbell said. "I think it’s huge. Even some of the past records that he’s broken – recent games that have been extremely humbling to be with him, just to be in that game and that situation with him. It’s a big time achievement, that’s for sure.”
Before Barrett can be crowned the winningest quarterback in the rivalry's history, the Buckeyes still have to go out and beat a Michigan team that features a top-three defense nationally in terms of yards allowed. And no one knows that, and is willing to acknowledge it more, than Ohio State's fifth-year quarterback.
“I think it’s cool," Barrett said of the possible record. "as long as we win the game.”
