Before Joe Burrow became a star quarterback for the LSU Tigers and the eventual No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft by the Cincinnati Bengals, he was a backup quarterback for the Ohio State Buckeyes. And based on some recent reports, it seems that Urban Meyer didn’t necessarily have high hopes for him.
This week, ML Football shared some pretty shocking things that Urban Meyer told Burrow during his time at Ohio State.
“At a film session during Joe Burrow’s time at Ohio State, head coach Urban Meyer told Burrow that he’s a ‘D2 quarterback’ at best, and he doesn’t have the ability to make throws consistently. Another time as a freshman Meyer told Burrow, that ‘you throw like a girl,'” ML Football said in a tweet on Saturday afternoon.
At a film session during Joe Burrow's time at Ohio State, head coach Urban Meyer told Burrow that he's a “D2 quarterback” at best, and he doesn't have the ability to make throws consistently:
Another time as a freshman Meyer told Burrow, that “you throw like a girl.”
😬😬😬,… pic.twitter.com/AE9pHNBd4P
— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) May 21, 2023
“Burrow now is a Pro Bowl #NFL quarterback and is considered by many one as one of the three best QBs in the league,” ML Football continued.
Obviously, Burrow did not finish his career at Ohio State. He transferred to LSU after losing Ohio State’s 2018 starting quarterback battle to Dwayne Haskins, who in all fairness, went on to be a Heisman finalist and a first-round pick while Burrow put up modest numbers at LSU in 2018.
The following season, however, Burrow had one of the most dominant seasons in college football history, winning the Heisman Trophy in a landslide and leading his LSU Tigers to the national title. He was then selected No. 1 overall in the NFL Draft and has since become one of the most dominant players in the entire league.
Urban also got to the league and didn’t know who Aaron Donald was…
— Drew Garrison (@DrewGarrison) May 21, 2023
He motivated him to leave and go win a national championship with LSU.
— Big Easy Bets🎙 (@BigEasyBets) May 21, 2023
People from a far will think this was outlandish, but anyone that knew Urban at Ohio State knows it was his tactic to motivate players. He pushed players' buttons, to see who would fight back and who wouldn't. The man has 3 rings for a reason. https://t.co/w7RqKplfJU
— jbook™ (@jbook37) May 21, 2023
Always said that Urban Meyer picking Haskins over Burrow tell you everything you need to know about him as a coach. https://t.co/f58GmYsI7E
— Rosheika's Husband (@FlassKnows) May 21, 2023
These comments from Meyer were almost certainly a motivational tactic for Burrow, but they still don’t look all that good in hindsight.
