Second in a series examining the individuals in a freshman class that could make a difference for Ohio State this season

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Before throwing a pass as a Buckeye, J.T. Barrett already was the center of an Ohio State story.

On a late January weekend, when the Texas quarterback, and his torn ACL, should have been in high school, Barrett was already enrolled at Ohio State for his first Ohio winter. And he saw his future. Barrett saw it in two playmakers with Ohio State offers and decisions to make: Florida's James Clark and fellow Texan Dontre Wilson. Barrett couldn't just sit and watch as his future played out.

Freshman QB J.T. Barrett was limited by his knee injury during spring practice, but he has been nearly 100 percent during preseason practice.

So after a workout, with Wilson and Clark on their official visits to Ohio State and taking in a speech from strength coach and Urban Meyer right-hand man Mickey Marotti, Barrett interrupted.

You don't interrupt Mickey Marotti unless you have something that needs to be said.

Here's what happened, as described by offensive coordinator Tom Herman, who set up an outpost in Wichita Falls, Texas, while recruiting Barrett.

“He goes on for five or 10 minutes on why he chose this place over others and he's going on about winning multiple championships and what an Ohio State degree can do for you and playing in this system and for this coach and at this school,” Herman said.

“I recruited the kid, and I didn't know he had that in him. His coach had told me, but that's something that you can't measure. As a recruiter you can't go up and say, 'Give me your best pregame speech to the guys.'

“For me to witness that, that got me choked up a little bit, because you can't teach that. Or it's really hard to teach a young man to be that passionate about winning and that passionate about making his team better.”

The speech came nine months after Barrett's oral commitment to Ohio State, and three months after he tore up his knee and ended his high school career. It was the beginning of something else.

Herman and Meyer have been working since they arrived to lift Braxton Miller into a leadership role, something that doesn't come as naturally to the Ohio State quarterback of the moment. The coaches like how Miller has developed and trust him as the point man of this team.

Barrett may not have as far to go. Barrett's coach at Rider High School in Wichita Falls, Texas, said he was one of the best leaders he had ever coached.

"When he talks, everybody listens," Jim Garfield said. "He commands respect."

If Miller leaves for the NFL after this season, the Buckeyes might be asking Barrett to step in next year.

“Leadership comes kind of naturally,” Barrett said. “I really don't have to think about it.”

It works. Both Clark and Wilson became Buckeyes. Barrett doesn't get all the credit. But the speech must have helped.

“A little bit,” he said with a smile.

While Meyer told Barrett after his pledge to the Buckeyes that he'd get him some playmakers, a quarterback sometimes has to take responsibility for his offense. Even if it's the offense for 2014 or 2015.

“I had something to say,” Barrett sad. “And it just flowed.”

He's not completely letting it flow all the way on the field yet. Barrett said his knee is not quite 100 percent, but after watching much of spring practice from the sidelines, he was cleared in June and this preseason has “been doing everything they need me to do.”

That's being a quarterback who can run and throw.

That's learning a new offense while battling Cardale Jones to be the next guy behind Miller and senior backup Kenny Guiton.

That's absorbing what he can from one of the better quarterbacks in college football.

“Braxton is a really good guy,” Barrett said. “He's a stand-up guy who's always going to do the right thing. He has a lot of integrity. He's teaching me little things to look for. He's just an overall good guy, real grounded, not high on himself, a humble person. Just a good person to be around.”

And that's being a leader. There, the freshman has shown he's ready.