With a plate and some screws fused into his surgically-repaired ankle, Ohio State redshirt freshman quarterback J.T Barrett crutched over to a small table inside the indoor field at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center, sat down, and smiled.

For the first time since suffering a season-ending injury against Michigan last weekend, Barrett met with reporters to talk about his health, backup Cardale Jones and a storybook season that watched him blossom into one of the nation's finest players.