Joe Burrow's College Career: From Buckeye Backup to Heisman King and National Champion

By Jason Bolton October 05, 2025 21:16

Joe Burrow's college football journey is the ultimate underdog tale—a redshirt freshman grinding behind legends at Ohio State, a mid-major transfer at LSU, and a supernova 2019 season that catapulted him to the Heisman Trophy, a national championship, and the No. 1 overall NFL draft pick. Standing 6'4" and 221 pounds, the left-handed gunslinger from The Plains, Ohio, transformed from an overlooked recruit to college football's most unstoppable force, amassing 8,895 passing yards and 76 touchdowns over two seasons at LSU. As the Cincinnati Bengals' franchise quarterback enters his sixth NFL year—fresh off a 2024 Pro Bowl nod—Burrow's college arc remains a blueprint for patience, poise, and explosive talent. Here's the full story of how "Joey B" became Joe Burrow.

Ohio State: The Humble Beginnings (2015-2017)

Burrow's college odyssey started at Ohio State, where he arrived as a three-star recruit from Athens High School in 2015. A dual-threat standout in high school (3,223 passing yards, 1,234 rushing), Burrow redshirted his freshman year behind J.T. Barrett, watching the Buckeyes claim the first College Football Playoff title (59-0 over Oregon).

As a redshirt freshman in 2016, Burrow saw mop-up duty in nine games, completing 10 of 15 passes for 61 yards—no touchdowns, no interceptions. His mobility flashed in spot appearances, but with Barrett and Dwayne Haskins ahead, Burrow was third-string. The 2017 season brought more frustration: Backup to Haskins, he appeared in four games, going 2-for-5 for 29 yards and a pick. A brief start in a blowout vs. UNLV (14-3 win) yielded 14 yards on 2-of-3 passing, but Burrow's role was limited to 29 total snaps.

Ohio State went 31-4 during Burrow's time, winning the 2015 championship and 2017 Big Ten title, but Burrow craved the spotlight. "I knew I needed reps," he later reflected in a 2020 ESPN interview. Transferring after spring ball in 2018, Burrow sought a fresh start—landing at LSU, where new coach Ed Orgeron promised a competition with junior Brandon Harris.

LSU: The Breakout and Immortal 2019 (2018-2019)

Burrow's LSU tenure was a meteoric rise, turning a perennial underachiever (3-9 in 2016) into a juggernaut. In 2018, he sat behind Harris early but seized the starting job by Week 3, leading a 28-0 rout of Auburn. Finishing 10-3 (8-2 SEC), Burrow threw for 2,894 yards, 22 TDs, and 8 INTs, adding 368 rushing yards and 5 scores. Highlights included a 31-17 upset at No. 7 Auburn and a Peach Bowl thriller vs. No. 14 UCF (40-32), where his 349 yards and 3 TDs secured a 10-win season—LSU's first since 2011.

Then came 2019: The stuff of legends. Burrow dismantled defenses in a record-shattering campaign, going 15-0 and capping it with a 42-25 national title win over Clemson in the College Football Playoff. Stats? Absurd: 5,671 passing yards (NCAA record), 60 TDs (record), 6 INTs, 76.3% completion, 203.0 QB rating. He added 368 rushing yards and 5 TDs. Burrow led the nation in total offense (431.9 YPG), passing efficiency (212.8), and yards per completion (13.9).

Key moments defined the magic:

Week 1 vs. Georgia Southern: 23/27 for 360 yards, 5 TDs.
Ole Miss (Nov 16): 321 yards, 5 TDs in a 58-37 rout, clinching the SEC West.
at No. 4 Georgia (Oct 12): 349 yards, 3 TDs in a 37-10 upset, the "Game of the Century."
at No. 5 Alabama (Nov 9): 393 yards, 4 TDs in a 46-41 thriller.
Peach Bowl Semifinal vs. No. 1 Oklahoma: 493 yards, 7 TDs (record) in a 63-28 demolition.
National Championship: 463 yards, 2 TDs vs. Clemson.

Burrow won the Heisman unanimously (first since 1955), Maxwell, Walter Camp, and AP Player of the Year awards. His poise under pressure—never sacked in the playoff—earned "Joey B" eternal LSU love. "He changed the program forever," Orgeron said. Burrow left with 8,565 passing yards, 82 TDs, and a .947 winning percentage.

Legacy: From Backup to Blueprint

Burrow's college career (Ohio State: 12/20, 90 yds; LSU: 699/1019, 8,805 yds, 82 TDs) totals 8,895 yards and 82 TDs, but it's the intangibles that shine: Resilience at OSU, explosion at LSU. Drafted No. 1 by the Bengals in 2020, his college arc inspired underdogs everywhere. "LSU gave me the chance to be me," Burrow said post-draft. For Fan Arch, it's athlete empowerment at its finest—a quarterback who owned his story, one laser pass at a time.