COLUMBUS, Ohio – A new word has entered the lexicon in the Ohio State football team’s locker room – “guitonish.”
“Guitonish (adj.) 1) to act in the manner of former Buckeye quarterback Kenny Guiton; 2) to display qualities of leadership or composure under pressure.”
That was the word Buckeye head coach Urban Meyer used to describe redshirt freshman quarterback J.T. Barrett, who was named the starting quarterback after senior Braxton Miller was lost for the season due to a reinjured right shoulder.
“This kid’s kind of ‘Guitonish,’” head coach Urban Meyer said Wednesday, coining the term before reporters. “He’s a very calm, cool collect guy, he’s got very good leadership skills. That’s a term we use around here now: ‘Guitonish.’“
Meyer refers to the 5th-ranked Buckeyes’ last two practices as “the day after” and “two days after” — a new calendar dating from when the team lost Miller.
A two-time Big Ten player of the year, Miller (right) tore the labrum of his right throwing shoulder on an unrushed, seven-yard pass on Monday. The same shoulder had been operated on in February after Miller suffered the same type of injury in the Discover Orange Bowl.
Now every point on the program’s timeline will be judged whether it was before Miller’s injury or after.
While Barrett has never taken a collegiate snap, his teammates and Meyer say he’s ready to start when the Buckeyes open their season on Aug. 30 against Navy. They describe him as a mature kid with lots of potential who has grown in his time on campus.
Miller says Barrett has thrown about 50 times more “competitive” passes in practice than Guiton has before taking over for Miller during the second game of last season and leading OSU to three straight wins.