Ohio State’s J.T. Barrett is winding down his career as one of the most productive quarterbacks in not just Ohio State history, but all of college football. He is the latest quarterback to succeed under coach Urban Meyer. A look at some of the others:
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Josh Harris, Bowling Green
Before Alex Smith, Tim Tebow and J.T. Barrett, Meyer helped turn Harris in the Mid-American Conference star. Meyer went 17-6 in 2001-02 at Bowling Green and Harris took over as the starter as a sophomore that first season. After Meyer left for Utah, Harris really took off in 2003, with 3,813 yards passing, 830 yards rushing and 40 total touchdowns.
Pro career: Harris was drafted in the sixth round by Baltimore in 2004 and knocked around the NFL and CFL for three seasons.
Alex Smith, Utah
Meyer spent two seasons in Salt Lake City and went 22-2 with Smith leading the way. Smith passed for 5,199 yards, ran for 1,083, accounted for 62 touchdowns and was a Heisman finalist in 2004.
Pro career: Smith was selected first overall in 2005 by the San Francisco 49ers and has been starting for Kansas City the last five seasons.
Chris Leak, Florida
Meyer inherited Leak in 2005. He didn’t perfectly fit the spread offense Meyer used because Leak wasn’t much of a runner. But Leak had two good seasons under Meyer (43 touchdown passes, 63 percent completions), culminating with a national championship in 2006. That season Leak handled most of the quarterback duties, but the freshman Tebow complemented him as a running threat.
Pro career: Signed as an undrafted free agent in 2007 by the Chicago Bears, Leak never played in a regular-season NFL game.
Tim Tebow, Florida
One of the most successful and productive quarterbacks in college football history. In four seasons under Meyer, Tebow accounted for 145 and 12,232 total yards. He won the Heisman Trophy in 2007 and was a finalist in 2008 and ’09.
Pro career: Tebow was drafted in the first round by Denver in 2010. He started much of the 2011 season and helped the Broncos reach the playoffs and win a playoff game against Pittsburgh. He was traded to the New York Jets and was out of the league after three seasons, with a career completion percentage is 47.9 percent.
Braxton Miller, Ohio State
Miller was Meyer’s first starter at Ohio State and he won Big Ten player of the year honors in 2012 and ’13, running for 2,339 yards and 25 touchdowns. A shoulder injury derailed his senior season and he eventually switched to wide receiver.
Pro career: Miller was selected in the third round by Houston in 2016.
Cardale Jones, Ohio State
After riding the bench most of his career, Jones took over as the Buckeyes’ starter late in the 2014 season after Barrett was injured against Michigan. He led Ohio State to victories in the Big Ten title game and the College Football Playoff, where Ohio State won the national title. He began the 2015 season as a starter, but was up and down throughout and eventually gave way to Barrett.
Pro career: Jones was drafted in the fourth round by Buffalo in 2016 and is now with the Los Angeles Chargers.
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