Ohio State redshirt junior quarterback J.T. Barrett will play during the Buckeyes’ annual spring game Saturday, coach Urban Meyer announced Monday, but it’s unclear right now exactly how much.
“J.T. will play,” Meyer said. “How much? To be determined.”
The probable answer to that question is not a ton. Barrett, in all likelihood, will play a couple of series wearing a black non-contact jersey and then grab a headset on the sideline. There’s too much risk involved for the 2014 Big Ten Quarterback of the Year to do any more than that.
So if you’re planning on attending or watching Saturday’s spring game, prepare for plenty of Joe Burrow and Stephen Collier. Those two will see the majority of the snaps, according to Meyer, and they won’t have the comfort of wearing the non-contact jersey, either.
“I think we’ll let Stephen and Joe play a little bit live,” Meyer said. “I might bring the jerseys out to cover them up a little bit, but those guys have been live throughout the spring.”
Ohio State often does this with its younger, unproven quarterbacks. Meyer and Co. want them to experience what it’s like to get hit throughout spring. They want to see what each guy is made of, in a sense.
“That’s a big part of who we are — not who we are, but how college football is,” Meyer said. “How good does a quarterback escape pressure and all that.”
“I’ve been there,” Barrett added recently. “It’s not a game even though it’s as close to it as we can make it be, but I think it’s one of those deals that you try to show your teammates you’re tough.”
And so Burrow and Collier will be able to showcase their talents — and toughness — in an attempt to earn Ohio State’s No. 2 spot behind Barrett. Right now, that place belongs to Burrow as the redshirt freshman is “getting close to being game ready,” according to Meyer.
Buckeyes quarterbacks coach Tim Beck said Burrow is the clear No. 2 right now with Collier third, though he said both have been impressive this spring.
“He’s doing pretty good,” Meyer said of Burrow. “I don’t think he’s quite the athlete that J.T. is right now, but he’s becoming a much better runner. His release is night and day what it was.”
“I think Stephen Collier's gotten a lot better,” Beck added. “Steve's really worked hard, he's had a great offseason. … I like his progress and where he's at in the limited reps that he's had.”
So on Saturday, it's going to be Burrow leading one team and Collier the other for the majority of the afternoon. Ohio State fans won't get a chance to see much of what the 2016 offense will look like without Barrett, but what they will get is a glimpse toward the future.
After all, that's what the spring game is usually all about. It gives fans the opportunity to potentially see what the program will look like a year or two down the road.
And at a place like Ohio State, the future is always important.
