Scarlet Sunrise: Buckeyes legend J.T. Barrett continuing football career in CFL

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Buckeyes legend J.T. Barrett continuing football career in CFL

J.T. Barrett spent years re-writing the Ohio State record book before heading to the NFL. Now out of the American pro league, he still has a shot to continue his football career up north.

Barrett is still with the Edmonton Elks of the Canadian Football League. He originally signed to play with the Elks last season, but an achilles injury forced him on the sideline for the year. But now, he’s back and healthy, ready to play again.

He’s happy to be getting a chance to play football again after stints with the Saints, Seahawks and Steelers in the NFL. Now it’s onto the CFL.

“Now coming back from that, I still have a great opportunity, going up there and playing,” Barrett told Lettermen Row on the Buckeyes Cruise for Cancer this weekend. “For a minute once I left school, it was definitely rocky. … I was just trying to hang on [in the NFL]. But at the end of the day, I needed work experience. It’s professional football, and I didn’t have work experience. The Canadian League is giving me the opportunity to go do that. I’m just trying to make the most of it.”

Catch the full conversation with J.T. Barrett right here or on Lettermen Row.

WATCH: J.T. Barrett gives insight on pressure of playing QB at Ohio State, C.J. Stroud

Lettermen Row exclusive interview with Tyvis Powell, Zach Boren

Jim Knowles has arrived as the highest-paid coordinator in program history. Ohio State added two new coaches in the secondary. And with Larry Johnson electing to return for another season with the Buckeyes, the expectations for that revamped staff are clear: Reclaim the Silver Bullets standard to get back to winning championships.

Knowles is now in place, and the work is about to get ramped up for the new coaches with a critical camp looming.

What needs to get done? In the latest conversation on the Buckeye Cruise with some standouts at Ohio State, former captain Zach Boren and national-title-winning safety Tyvis Powell sat down with Lettermen Row to cover a lot of ground about the defense heading into the start of spring practice in March.

Ohio State beats Indiana for key home win

Up 11 in the second half, Ohio State couldn’t score to keep that advantage. It blew a lead, trailed in the final minutes and had to force overtime in the closing moments to avoid an upset.

But the Buckeyes seemed to find it in the overtime period. They used it to barely scrape by an Indiana team that was without three of its usual rotational players, just to earn a home win. The Buckeyes gutted out the 80-69 overtime win in Value City Arena on Monday night to get back on track after the home loss over the weekend.

With Liddell struggling, the offense stagnated. And the Hoosiers held a lead with less than a minute to go before Liddell sent the game to overtime with a dunk with fewer than 10 seconds remaining. From there, Ohio State rode the momentum into the extra time, finally found some offensive pop and beat the Hoosiers.

Like they have done all season, the Buckeyes (17-7, 10-5 Big Ten) somehow found a way. This just took overtime to happen. And that put them back in the win column ahead of a tough road trip ahead later this week.

READ: Buckeyes scrape by short-handed Indiana for overtime win

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