Happy Valentine’s Day Buckeye fans! It’s that day again where candies, flowers and men in the doghouse reach epic volume proportions. But this day is all about hearts right? Okay, it’s really about loving those around you, but there’s a lot of heart in that.
Here at Buckeyes Wire, we decided to take a look at former Buckeye players and come up with three that we felt had all-time heart in their game. Of course it’s all opinion, but feel free to weigh in.
Next … a nineties throwback
No. 3 – Chris Jent
Chris Jent played for the Ohio State basketball team back in the early nineties. For those of you not old enough to remember him, he played with reckless abandon, often diving for loose balls and giving nothing short of all out effort.
He received standing ovations and applause for his never-quit attitude, and probably still has some scars and from floor burns he got while doing his work in the venerable St. John Arena. He played with guys like Jimmy Jackson and Lawrence Funderburke, but he was that role player and glue that made opponents pull their hair out.
Next … a “crafty” defender
No. 2 – Aaron Craft
Aaron Craft is still beloved by Buckeye fans today. He was often hated by opposing fans because of his ability to get under the skin of other teams with his all-out assault on the defensive end. Like Jent, it wasn’t uncommon to see him dive on the floor, take a charge, and even hit a game winner in the most crucial time.
He’s still playing ball in Europe now, and you have to believe that there’s opposing fans that are still cursing him out in foreign languages today. But not coaches, they all think he’s one of the best defenders the game has ever seen.
Next … the consummate leader
No. 2 – J.T. Barrett
Ah, yes. One day Barrett is going to be a coach somewhere, and he’s going to be fantastic. The adversity started when the former Ohio State quarterback underwent injury his senior year of high school. He came back from that, was thrust into the spotlight when Braxton Miller was injured in 2014 and never looked back.
He still holds multiple career Big Ten passing records that might last for a very long time. But it was more than about numbers for one of Urban Meyer’s favorite players of all-time.
Barrett was a leader, would sell out his body to make a key play (right Michigan), and wouldn’t back down from anybody or anything. But what best personifies his mindset and heart might well have been his ability to play in the Big Ten Championship Game just six days removed from arthroscopic knee surgery.
I mean who does that? By the way, he led his team to a win on the way to the Big Ten title.
