COLUMBUS, Ohio – Buckeye quarterback J.T Barrett will not be at the Heisman Trophy gala in New York.
Neither will reigning Heisman winner Jameis Winston.
Neither is a finalist for this year’s award.
The Heisman trust announced Monday that Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota, Wisconsin running back Melvin Gordon and Alabama receiver Amari Cooper are the finalists heading to New York.
Taking over for Heisman candidate Braxton Miller just days before the season began, Barrett set a Big Ten record by being responsible for 45 touchdowns. The redshirt freshman also set school records for touchdown passes, with 35, and total offense before his season was ended by an ankle injury late in the final game against Michigan.
Head coach Urban Meyer said he believed Barrett had the statistics of a Heisman winner and deserved to be a finalist.
Winston will not join former Ohio State running back Archie Griffin as the only players to win the Heisman Trophy twice.
Voters may have been put off by Winston’s off-field distractions. He completed a university hearing last week to determine whether he violated any or all of four sections of the student code of conduct stemming from a sexual assault allegation.