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The Detroit Lions have made plenty of offseason additions to their roster, and just before training camp, the coaching staff has received a bit of a boost.
On Saturday, July 23, 2022, the Lions revealed that they had brought former Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback J.T. Barrett on board as an assistant coach. Barrett’s addition to the team is said to be in the role of an offensive assistant.
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After the team revealed the news of Barrett’s hiring, the Lions PR Twitter account put out a good reminder of the success their former coach had on the gridiron in college. As most know, Barrett was an elite quarterback with Ohio State, and he has multiple records to his credit:
“Barrett left Ohio State with Big Ten records for total Offensive Yards (12,697), touchdowns responsible for (147), touchdown passes (104), Player of the Week awards (9). He was a three-time Big Ten quarterback of the year,” they tweeted.
While Barrett might not have enjoyed the professional success he did in college, it’s more than possible he can grow in his next role and offer the team something special for the offensive side of the ball.
Barrett’s Career Stats & Highlights
While playing in college, Barrett was a beast for the Buckeyes. From 2014-2017, Barrett put up some insane stats with Ohio State. He passed for 9,434 yards and 104 touchdowns. He also rushed for 3,263 yards and 43 touchdowns.
Barrett helped Ohio State win the CFP National Championship for 2015. In spite of this, he went undrafted in 2018. Still, it’s fair to remember how talented Barrett was:
In the NFL, Barrett didn’t do much when he was picked up by the New Orleans Saints from 2018-2019, but that’s where Dan Campbell would have known him to bring him in the mix. Barrett had stints with the Seattle Seahawks (2019) and Pittsburgh Steelers (2019-20) as well as the CFL’s Edmonton Eskimos. Barrett never registered a stat in the pros.
Lions Coaching Staff Features Multiple Former Players
In terms of fit, Barrett will find a good one with the Lions given the fact that he is a former player. Detroit’s coaching staff has made headlines in recent seasons for the amount of ex-players that are on staff.
The offensive staff that Barrett will join features quarterback coach Mark Brunell, wide receiver coach Antwaan Randle El, offensive line coach Hank Fraley and running back coach Duce Staley. Defensively, the team has Aaron Glenn as defensive coordinator, Kelvin Sheppard as a linebacker coach and Aubrey Pleasant as a defensive backs coach. All have various levels of pro and college experience.
From this perspective, it will be a good fit for Barrett. As he starts his coaching career, he will be able to join a group of coaches that all have playing experience and who have become solid teachers in the league as well. To that end, it’s a good fit for Barrett to come back to his midwest roots in Detroit for the next phase of his career.
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