Clemson DB: J.T. Barrett not one of the best quarterbacks we've faced this year
Jadar Johnson is not a believer in J.T. Barrett. That much is clear.
How do we know that? Well, the Clemson safety made his thoughts about Ohio State’s signal-caller perfectly clear on Tuesday.
When asked to evaluate Barrett before Saturday’s College Football Playoff semifinal game, Johnson said he wasn’t that impressed.
“Not to take anything away from him — I don’t think he’s a bad player — he’s definitely a good player, but he just doesn’t stand out as one of the best quarterbacks we’ve seen this year as a defense,” Johnson said. “He’s a great quarterback on his legs, I just don’t feel real strong about his arm.
“I don’t feel like he’s one of the best passers.”
VIDEO: Clemson’s Jadar Johnson’s evaluation of Buckeye QB J.T. Barrett. pic.twitter.com/CordqlWKjS
— Jerod Smalley (@JerodNBC4) December 27, 2016
Clemson did face Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson, but other than that, the next-best options are limited.
And while Barrett wasn’t the most accurate passer, he still completed 62 percent of his passes and had nearly a 5-to-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio this season.
But clearly, Johnson isn’t worried about Barrett throwing the ball.
“I feel like if we can limit (Barrett) on his legs and limit him in the running game, I feel like we’ll have a pretty good chance of doing good against this offense,” Johnson said.
If you’ll recall, Oklahoma’s backup quarterback called the Buckeye defense “basic” before their showdown in Norman. That didn’t prove to be the case.
Now the question is whether or not Barrett will prove another OSU doubter wrong.