Ohio State Buckeyes

An Ohio State football player is making history by going for his PhD

Published Nov. 15, 2016 3:39 p.m. ET

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Lindsey Foltin

Jarrod Barnes is one of a kind.

The 22-year-old student athlete is the first-ever Ohio State football player who is also a PhD candidate, according to school records.

Barnes has quite an impressive story both on and off the field. Before coming to Ohio State, he earned a bachelor's degree from Louisville in just three years while he was a member of the Cardinals' football team.

After graduating from Louisville in June 2015, he enrolled in the Masters of Science in Sport Management program at Ohio State. Since Barnes had red-shirted his freshman year, he still had two years of football eligibility left, so he tried out for the football team -- and made it as a walk-on.

Despite juggling football and a full slate of heavy-hitting classes, Barnes graduated in one year with a 3.67 GPA and was accepted into the PhD program.

Barnes has developed a business plan that focuses on helping student athletes improve their academics and real-life skills outside of sports. With such a small percentage of student athletes who go on to make it in their sport on a professional level, Barnes has a goal of changing the student athlete experience by better preparing students for life after collegiate sports.

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