Around college football: Barrett to return for senior season

Quarterback J.T. Barrett is returning to Ohio State for his final year of eligibility.

Barrett indicated as much after Saturday night’s 31-0 loss to Clemson in the College Football Playoff. He confirmed it in a tweet Wednesday, saying: “I’m coming back for my senior year. Much love to the Buckeye Nation and thank God for the blessings.”

Buckeyes linebacker Raekwon McMillan announced he would leave early for the NFL draft.

Bay Area stars leaving

Stanford defensive lineman Solomon Thomas will leave school early to enter the draft, bypassing his final two seasons of eligibility.

Thomas, projected by some experts as a first-round pick, was a first-team All-Pac-12 selection and third-team All-American this season. He had eight sacks and 15 tackles for loss.

California wide receiver Chad Hansen said he was giving up his senior season to pursue his goal of playing in the NFL. The former walk-on ranked third in the nation this season with 9.2 catches per game and fourth in yards receiving with 124.9 yards per game. He caught 92 passes for 1,249 yards and 11 touchdowns.

Clemson player apologizes

Clemson defensive end Christian Wilkins apologized for groping Ohio State receiver Curtis Samuel during the Fiesta Bowl.

Wilkins said he had talked with Samuel after the game and that everything was all right between them. Wilkins, a sophomore defensive end, was seen on video grabbing Samuel’s rear and reaching his hand between the receiver’s legs while Samuel was on the ground after teammates had tackled him.

Clemson Coach Dabo Swinney said he spoke with Wilkins after the incident and was satisfied with the apology.

Three Trojans honored

USC quarterback Sam Darnold, receiver Deontay Burnett and safety Leon McQuay III were selected to the Associated Press All-Bowl team for their performances in the Trojans’ 52-49 victory over Penn State in the Rose Bowl.

Darnold was selected the winner of the 2016 Archie Griffin Award, presented by the Touchdown Club of Columbus to college football’s season-long most valuable player after the bowl season.