The legend of Joe Burrow: From overlooked at Ohio State to Heisman frontrunner at LSU

F Pete thamel

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Burrow, a skinny three-star quarterback recruit, wore Mickey Mouse T-shirts, SpongeBob pajama pants and often had a green tongue from his addiction to caramel apple lollipops. Burrow told his teammates that people watching at Walmart was a favorite pastime back in the Athens, Ohio, area where he grew up. He famously once declared to Tim Beck, the Buckeyes’ offense coordinator: “Coach, I’m growing a mullet.”

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The veterans showed the rookie plenty of tough love, too, renaming him “John Burrow” because J.T. Barrett’s first name is Joe.

“It wasn’t my favorite thing,” Joe Burrow said with a chuckle in a phone interview on Monday. “I thought I’d get a cooler nickname.”

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Don’t worry, The Rant got you, BDJ

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Pete thamel

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wont click

John Burrow... clever. Has a nice ring to it.

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The legend of Joe Burrow: From overlooked at Ohio State to Heisman frontrunner at LSU

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That dude must feel like he is living out a movie. Especially when LSU plays Ohio State in the CFP. Man, what a story that will be: Rejected QB comes back to beat home state team.
He wasn't good enough for Ohio State University; one coach going as far as telling him he threw the football like a girl. But for 3 years (including a redshirt his first season at Ohio State) Joe Burrow worked, he studied, he did all the things the coaches told him he needed to do to be the starting QB.
"Man, I really worked hard there, I threw until my arm was sore, studied film until curfew. There's pieces of my flesh on that practice field in Columbus," not an actual quote from Joe Burrow.
Burrow's dedication to Ohio State football would have made the namesake for their Athletic Center proud. But not even the great Woody Hayes could have changed Joe Burrow's fate, not anymore than Burrow could prove to the Ohio State coaches that he was indeed good enough to be their starting QB.
Beaten out for the starting job after spring football of his redshirt sophomore season, Joe Burrow decided it was time for a change.
And now he faces that same team he once tried so hard to play for. And not just another game on a Saturday in the fall, no, this one is for all the marbles. When asked how he felt about playing against his favorite team growing up, the Heisman winner had this to say, "when I was a child I thought as a child, I acted as a child. But now that I am a grown man I have put childish things away."
And when these two storied gladiators meet in the National Championship game Burrow added, "I'm not the same person that left Columbus for Baton Rouge, I'm not the same QB, I've grown a lot since then, as a man, as a person and as a QB. I'm an LSU fighting Tiger now, and will be the rest of my life. So when we play Ohio State I will finally put them away!!!"
Seeing the path that Joe Burrow has traveled and the determination to succeed, how can anyone not believe his success will continue.
It was fate that took Joe Burrow to Baton Rouge and LSU. And it will be fate that has led him to play against his old team. Is it fate that LSU beats Ohio State for the National Championship? Very possibly could be. But there is one thing I do know. When LSU and Ohio State meet for the National Championship, Joe Burrow will be the best QB on the field.

Awesome article! Thanks for posting!!

He was far from overlooked at Ohio State. He just wasn't good enough to start for the Buckeyes when he left and still might not be today.

Different competition levels at his position and different offensive system.

Great article! Thanks for posting.