Ohio State’s J.T. Barrett retires his rehab scooter (photo)

Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett posted a photo on Instagram today showing that he is done with his rehab scooter.

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It looks like Ohio State’s J.T. Barrett is getting even closer to full health for the 2015 NCAA football season. The redshirt freshman quarterback posted a photo on Instagram letting everyone know that he is finished using his scooter and will be advancing to the next stage of rehab.

This past year, he was an instrumental part of the team’s national championship season. Before getting injured late in the regular season finale against Michigan, Barrett was putting up historically great numbers; not only for the Buckeyes, but the entire Big Ten conference. In fact, his 45 touchdowns set a new conference record, besting Drew Brees’s tally of 42 for Purdue in 1998. He managed to finish fifth in the Heisman Trophy Award voting, while leading the Buckeyes to an 11-1 record and a spot in the Big Ten Championship game against Wisconsin.

Cut to those final three games, and we have the emergence of third string quarterback Cardale Jones, who has been a hot topic of discussion when it comes to Ohio State football. Jones will be staying in school for at least another year, and in doing so, leaves Urban Meyer and the Buckeyes with a decision to make regarding their starting quarterback next season.

While Braxton Miller is questionable to return amid rumors that he might transfer, Jones will be healthy heading into Spring. This would at least give the team a quarterback controversy involving two similar yet different potential stars in 2015.

Barrett is trying to get a leg up on the competition by giving up his beloved rehab scooter, which is a sign that he’s nearing a return to the Buckeyes to defend his starting role.

While Barrett provides the team with more accuracy in the pocket 64.7 completion percentage to Jones’s 61.2), and a more efficient style of play (85.6 QBR to Jones’s 71.9), there are certain measures which make his competition’s case even greater.

Aside from being the one to complete the team’s championship sprint, Jones also carries a rocket for an arm, as noted by his “12 Gauge” moniker that has more or less been beaten into our collective skulls over the past two weeks. His pure size is a nightmare for defenders to deal with and he has demonstrated the ability to learn a great deal of offensive schemes in a relatively short amount of time. Should he have another year to soak up football, he may blossom into a high first round NFL Draft option.

Regardless of where they go, it is not a decision any of us envy to have to make. Urban Meyer has a wealth of riches going into the 2015 college football season, and it is sure to be one of the nation’s biggest story-lines up until then.

[H/T: College Spun]

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