Buckeyes Name Six Captains In Preparation For Virginia Tech Rematch

Aug. 28, 2015

Left to right: Tyvis Powell, Joshua Perry, Braxton Miller, J.T. Barrett, Jacoby Boren, and Taylor Decker.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Six individuals have been selected by vote of their teammates to serve as captains for the 2015 Ohio State football team: senior center Jacoby Boren, senior left tackle Taylor Decker, fifth-year graduate QB/H-Back Braxton Miller, senior linebacker Joshua Perry, fourth-year graduate Tyvis Powell and third-year junior J.T. Barrett.

Team members voted for captains last week and head coach Urban Meyer introduced them to the team after practice on Friday.

“This was the most players I’ve seen receive votes for captains,” Meyer said. “We had 14 players receive votes, but these six separated themselves. This is one of the great accomplishments these young men will experience, to be elected by their peers. And it is very well deserved.”

Perry didn’t seem surprised at the number of players who received captain votes.

“We have a lot of special guys in this locker room and a lot of guys who buy into the program,” he said. “We have guys who care so much more about their teammates and this great school and this program than just themselves. And I think it’s huge to have this amount of selfless guys … older guys … leaders and people who we count on viewed that way. It’s huge.”

Decker complimented his former offensive line teammates like Reid Fragel, Jack Mewhort, Corey Linsley, Andrew Norwelland Marcus Hall for helping set him up for this honor.

“Those were the guys who showed me the way,” Decker said. “They are guys I had a lot of respect for … guys I looked up to. I did things the way they showed, and the honor of being a captain is important. I’m excited my teammates have chosen me and the five others guys to represent this team as a whole.”

Here’s more on the captains:

Jacoby Boren — Has played in 31 games and started 15 times … on the “watch list” for the 2015 Rimington Trophy … first player taken during winter conditioning team “drafts” twice … outstanding academically, earning second-team Academic All-America honors in December 2014 … he is a two-time Big Ten Conference Distinguished Scholar in (2014 and 2015) for having a grade point average above 3.70 … the sustainable plant systems major is also a two-time Academic All-Big Ten Conference honoree and a four-time OSU Scholar-Athlete.

Taylor Decker — The leader of an offensive line that has been one of the best in college football over his two seasons as a starter … a first-team preseason All-American … a three-time “Iron Buckeye” award winner, given for unquestioned physical training dedication, determination, discipline, toughness and leadership … one of the most experienced offensive linemen in the country, having played in all 41 of Ohio State’s games the past three seasons and totaling over 2,300 offensive snaps … has also started 29 consecutive games with the Buckeyes posting a 26-3 record in that time … animal sciences major who has interned the past two summers with the world famous Columbus Zoo and Aquarium.

Braxton Miller — A 2014 team captain, Miller becomes just the ninth player in Ohio State history to be named a two-time team captain … he served as one of eight game captains in 2013 … graduated last December with a degree in communications … switched to receiver this fall while his shoulder continues to heal in order to do anything to help this team win … a contender for all of the major national awards when healthy … he already has won more Big Ten Conference Awards — seven — than any player in Big Ten history, including two Chicago Tribune Silver Football’s as the league MVP.

Ohio State Two-Time Captains

• Braxton Miller — 2014-15
• John Simon — 2011-12
• James Laurinaitis — 2007-08
• Joe Cooper — 2000-01
• Steve Belisari — 2000-01
• Pepper Johnson — 1984-85
• Glen Cobb — 1981-82
• Archie Griffin — 1974-75
• Richard Ellis — 1891-92

Joshua Perry — A veteran of 39 games and 24 starting assignments … enters the season as a candidate for the Lott IMPACT Award, which honors athletic ability but also character attributes such as integrity, maturity, performance, academics, community and tenacity, as well as the Butkus and Bednarik awards … led the team in tackles in 2014 and is within reach of a possible Top 10 standing in career tackles at Ohio State … a consumer and family financial services major … chosen to represent all Big Ten student-athletes by presenting a speech in front of 1,500 people at Big Ten media days in July.Tyvis Powell — A savvy, talented and veteran football player who is in his fourth year with the program … has fun being a Buckeye and certainly takes care of his business on and off the field … graduated in May 2015 — in just three-and-a-half years — with a degree in sport industry … he has played in all 29 games the past two seasons and has started 20 times, including the last 16 games … has played 2,103 snaps and has recorded 124 tackles, five interceptions and six pass break-ups .

J.T. Barrett — Outstanding as a freshman, going 11-1 as the starting quarterback, including an 8-0 record in Big Ten … before breaking an ankle against Michigan on the first play of the fourth quarter with the Buckeyes leading 28-21, Barrett had set 19 school records — two Big Ten and 17 Ohio State — and had put together such an outstanding season — a school-record 3,772 total yards including 2,834 passing yards and 938 rushing yards; a Big Ten record 45 total touchdowns — that he would be named the Big Ten’s Griese-Brees Quarterback of the Year, its Thompson-Randle El Freshman of the Year and its first-team all-conference quarterback … finished fifth in the 2014 Heisman Trophy voting.