Ohio State's 31-0 embarrassment against Clemson in the semifinals of the College Football Playoff prompted head coach Urban Meyer to overhaul his offensive coaching staff.
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And according to Buckeyes quarterback J.T. Barrett, the change was much-needed.
"Sometimes we get set in our ways," Barrett told WBNS-10TV in Columbus Sunday at the Ohio State basketball game, where he was given the Chicago Tribune Silver Football award for the Big Ten's best player. "...Something new...I think it was needed...It's not like we were awful by any means. We've got the train running, we just got to make sure it's going full speed."
Against Clemson, that train was knocked completely off the tracks. The Buckeyes managed just 250 total yards (127 passing, 88 rushing) and nine first downs to the Tigers' 470 and 24. Meyer responded by getting rid of co-offensive coordinators Ed Warinner and Tim Beck, and replacing them with former San Francisco 49ers QBs coach Ryan Day and former Indiana head coach Kevin Wilson.
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Those changes, Barrett said, steered him away from declaring for the NFL Draft and towards returning to OSU for his senior season.
"That was part of it," Barrett continued. "Just trying to make sure that if I was to come back, it was something I was going to do that was best for me and for me to grow as a quarterback."
