Tag: J.T. Barrett

Former Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett hired as Bears quarterbacks coach

In case you missed it, Barrett moving on up the coaching ladder! #GoBucks

According to multiple reports, the Chicago Bears have found their new quarterbacks coach with the hiring of former Ohio State signal-caller, J.T. Barrett. The OSU and Big Ten legend had previously held the post as assistant quarterbacks coach with Detroit.

We don’t have to tell you the leadership qualities Ohio State’s all-time leader in passing yards and the Big Ten’s all-time leader in passing and total touchdowns possesses. The stories of his determination, grit, and work are almost endless while in Columbus.

Barrett started his coaching career after a journeyman stint in the NFL when he joined the Lions in 2022 as an offensive assistant. He spent 2023 and 2024 as the assistant quarterbacks coach with new Chicago head coach, and former Lions offensive coordinator, Ben Johnson.

Count us unsurprised that Barrett is moving on up the coaching ladder. He was pretty much a coach on the field when he played for Ohio State and has all the leadership qualities to excel in the profession.

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Lions coach J.T. Barrett indicates he’s jumping to the Bears

Lions assistant coach J.T. Barrett indicates he’s jumping to the Bears as their new QB coach

Another Lions assistant coach is apparently heading to join Ben Johnson’s new staff with the Chicago Bears. The latest to jump ship from Detroit is assistant QB coach JT Barrett.

While nothing official had been announced, Barrett updated his Instagram profile to indicate he’s with the Chicago Bears, even tagging that teams official account.

Barrett has been with the Lions for three seasons, spending the last two as the assistant QB coach under Mark Brunell. The former Ohio State quarterback jumped right into arching once his professional playing days ended.

He will join Lions WR coach Antwaan Randle El in moving from Detroit to Chicago with Johnson.

Ben Johnson spotlights Lions offensive assistants with higher coaching ceilings

Ben Johnson spotlights Lions offensive assistants with higher coaching ceilings that could be moving up–or potentially on from Detroit

Ben Johnson opened up the bag of tricks once again in the Detroit Lions Week 16 win over the Chicago Bears. The “stumblerooski” worked like a charm, with Jared Goff hitting Sam LaPorta for a touchdown pass after Goff and RB Jahmyr Gibbs feigned a fumbled handoff exchange.

In his weekly press briefing, the Lions offensive coordinator was quick to share credit with three of his assistants. Johnson specifically noted assistant quarterbacks coach J.T. Barrett, assistant OL coach Steve Oliver and assistant receivers coach Seth Ryan for their creative input in devising all the Lions “special” offensive plays that have become a trademark staple of Johnson’s Detroit offense.

“I think we’ve got position coaches that are future coordinators and future head coaches, and I think we’ve got some really good young coaches that are going to be ready to be position coaches sooner rather than later,” Johnson said. He then listed names that Lions fans should probably be more aware of going forward if they didn’t know them already.

“Seth Ryan, Steve Oliver and J.T. Barrett, they’ve been in charge of our specials (trick plays) for not just this year, but for the last few years, and there’s a reason why we have probably a little higher success rate for those special plays, and they’re a big reason why,” Johnson said. “They have a ton of creativity. They bring a lot of ideas to the table, so I really wanted to start off here today by giving them a shoutout. They’ve been doing a great job here for the last three years, and they’re certainly deserving of more responsibility, not only here, but maybe elsewhere as well, wherever that opportunity unfolds.”

It’s that last statement that raises eyebrows. The Lions would have to replace Johnson if he leaves, and the most likely candidates are internal ones — namely the trio Johnson listed.

Of course, Johnson could be more inclined to take Barrett, Oliver and Ryan with him as his offensive staff on another team. Barrett, especially, is seen as a rising coaching star around the league and figures to get looks as an offensive coordinator or passing game coordinator this offseason. Sticking with the Lions, or jumping with Johnson to become his offensive coordinator, appears to be a viable option for Barrett.

Teddy Bridgewater gets his first win as a high school football coach

Teddy Bridgewater got his first win as a high school football coach. The former Saints quarterback is off to a good start at Miami Northwestern:

Former New Orleans Saints quarterback Teddy Bridgewater is still finding ways to win. He’s coaching high school football after finishing his playing career with the Detroit Lions.

Bridgewater, who returned to his alma mater at Miami Northwestern, just earned his first win as a high school coach. His Bulls team came away with an impressive 42-7 victory on Saturday against the Palmetto Panthers to start their season (and his career) 1-0.

He isn’t the only the only former Saint quarterback to enter the coaching ranks. Mark Brunell and J.T. Barrett have both found themselves coaching with the Lions. Those are some more ties to Lions head coach Dan Campbell, who has familiarity with both players along with Bridgewater during his time in New Orleans. He was teammates with Brunell and coached Barrett before going to Detroit.

With that said, a big congrats Bridgewater on a huge accomplishment in the place where it all started for him. We’ll all make sure to stay tuned to him and his squad as their season continues.

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Detroit Lions highlight coaching staff’s connections to New Orleans Saints

The connections between the Saints and Lions run deep on Detroit’s coaching staff. Lions’ social media highlights those connections.

The Detroit Lions connections to the New Orleans Saints run deep. Prior to the two teams facing off in Week 13, the Lions highlighted former Saints players now on the Detroit coaching staff. We’ve broken down the connections on each roster in depth here.

Dan Campbell and Aaron Glenn may be best remembered by Saints fans for their time as Saints coaches, but they also once donned the fleur-de-lis on their helmet as well. Glenn and Campbell both played for the Saints in the final year of their career, 2008 and 2009 respectively.

Those two are joined by former Saints quarterbacks J.T. Barrett and Mark Brunell. Brunell was a backup quarterback in New Orleans in 2008 and 2009. His time overlapped with Campbell and Glenn. Barrett is the youngest of the four. He started his career with the Saints in 2018. Like Brunell, Barrett was with the Saints the same time as Campbell and Glenn. The difference is the two were coaches for New Orleans by this time. On Sunday, these four return to a place they once called home as coaches of the opponent.

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Week 13’s Saints-Lions game filled with familiar faces on both sides

Week 13’s Saints-Lions game is filled with familiar faces on both sidelines. Former college teammates Dan Campbell and Dennis Allen will compete head to head:

As the New Orleans Saints and Detroit Lions prepare for their Week 13 matchup, there will be plenty of players and coaches with a history with their opponent.

Led by Dan Campbell and Aaron Glenn, there are a number of former Saints on the Lions roster and coaching staff and vice versa. Here are all of the connections between the two teams:

Questions at quarterback? First-time Ohio State starters in recent years have been outstanding.

It’s been quite amazing really with the level of production first-year quarterbacks have had at Ohio State recently. #GoBucks

There’s a big question mark for Ohio State entering the 2023 season, and it has everything to do with who will take the place of outgoing, two-time Heisman finalist, CJ Stroud.

So far, there’s not been an answer to that because, according to head coach Ryan Day and the coaching staff, both Kyle McCord and Devin Brown have been worthy of time under center, with neither separating himself. Now just a week away from the first game of 2023, it’s looking like both will get playing time and that this thing is going to go into the season.

At some point though, you have to think either Brown or McCord is going to be named the starter. Either way, it’s a year in which Ohio State is ushering in a new player at the most important position on the field.

A lot of the national media has tempered expectations for the Buckeyes because of the unknowns at quarterback, even though OSU is still inside the top five in most preseason polls and opinion rankings.

But hold the phone. Is a new quarterback really a problem at Ohio State, especially under Ryan Day? Believe it or not — and most Buckeye fans know this — first-year quarterbacks at Ohio State have not only been solid, but surprisingly out of this world.

We thought we’d take a look at some of first-year starers over the most recent of years, because it’s really been quite amazing the level of production those guys have had.

Top five Ohio State quarterbacks of the last 10 years

Agree or disagree? What would your top five be?

We are starting a new series here at Buckeyes Wire. We are ranking the top Ohio State players at each position over the past 10 years. This includes the 2013 season, but no one who ended their Ohio State career earlier than that.

Up first: quarterbacks. It was a difficult ranking to make because the Buckeyes have been blessed with many star quarterbacks in recent memory. In fact, the top five quarterbacks on this list were in the top five in Heisman voting at least once in their career at Ohio State.

A case for any of these quarterbacks to be higher on the list can be made because everybody has different criteria. My criteria was to take into account what they accomplished with the team but focus primarily on the skills they brought to the table.

Now, let’s get to the list.

Ohio State football’s top 10 most unbreakable offensive records

What would you name as the most unbreakable Ohio State football record on the offensive side of the ball? #GoBucks

  1. Ohio State football. It’s on the shortlist of the greatest college programs of all time. Look up historical stats and records when it comes to team and individual awards, and the one draped in scarlet and gray can be found anywhere and everywhere in the game.

But what about when we examine the OSU football program against itself? There are many records etched into the program’s history. Some seem pretty achievable, while others have stood the test of time and seem as if they may never be broken, especially with the style of play shifting to a more wide-open game.

We decided to go through the Ohio State football record books and ranked the top 10 most unbreakable offensive records on the banks of the Olentangy.

Here is our list of the top 10 most unbreakable Ohio State football records from the offensive side of the ball.

J.T. Barrett reportedly lands increased role on Detroit Lions coaching staff

Congrats to Barrett on the increased role! #GoBucks

Former Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett is moving on up in the coaching ranks. After trying to break into a role in the NFL and then the Canadian Football League, Barrett hung up the cleats and joined Dan Campbell’s staff with the Detroit Lions as an offensive assistant this past year.

And now, according to multiple reports, Barrett landed himself an increased role with the team, being promoted to assistant quarterbacks coach.

As a Buckeye, Barrett unleashed an assault on OSU and Big Ten records. At the time of his graduation from the Buckeyes, the dual-threat quarterback from Wichita Falls, Texas, held a whopping 39 records. A few of those have since been eclipsed, but many may stand for a long, long time.

Barrett will now have expanded duties, and with what we know about his leadership and personality, coaching is right in his sweet spot. We’ll continue to follow his career as he makes a name for himself with a whistle instead of a helmet.

It’s just too bad he has to do his work up in Michigan. Then again, come to think of it, he’s used to beating football teams in that state.

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