LSU Football: How Joe Burrow has always been an elite teammate

LSU football’s Joe Burrow is elite in nearly every possible way.

LSU football’s Joe Burrow has exhibited a lot of traits, on and off the field, that have made him the consensus top prospect in the 2020 NFL Draft.

One of those traits is being a great teammate.

It’s something we saw from Burrow earlier this off-season, when he expressed frustration that Pro-Days wouldn’t be happening this spring (due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic).

Burrow wasn’t concerned about himself. He was worried about his teammates that didn’t get a chance to shine in front of NFL scouts.

This isn’t a new trait for Burrow. It’s how he’s always been — dating back to his high school days.

FanSided’s Patrick Schmidt recently spoke to numerous folks close to Burrow — former teachers, friends and coaches — to get a better view of what made Burrow the player he is today.

One of the stories that was told in Schmidt’s feature about Burrow (which is a must read for any college football fan, by the way) shows a great example of the selflessness that makes the LSU star so special.

After Burrow committed to Ohio State, Urban Meyer constantly wanted the young quarterback to come to Columbus for various camps. Standard practice for recruits.

Burrow’s basketball coach, Jeff Skinner, told Schmidt that on one particular Saturday, Burrow had attended a camp in Columbus and then immediately got in the car and headed to Indianapolis for a basketball game — arriving just in time for the game to start.

"Going into his senior year, Urban Meyer wants him up there for every passing camp,” Skinner said. “Well, we had a pretty intense off-season for basketball and he never missed any of it. He had a passing camp at Ohio State one morning. I don’t know how many balls he threw in the heat of the day. When it was over, he got in a car with his mom and drove from Columbus to Indianapolis because we had a basketball event. There was no way he was gonna let his guys down by not showing up. We were literally out in the middle of the floor getting ready to jump center and he’s running onto the floor tying up his shoes.”"

It would’ve been understandable for Burrow to miss the game. After all, Burrow wasn’t going to college to play basketball.

But he didn’t want to let his teammates down. So he made the nearly three hour drive, after what was surely an intense camp with Meyer and Ohio State, just so he could be there for his team.

That’s a trait that can’t be taught. That kind of commitment to a team is rare. Burrow could’ve easily decided that the risk of injury was too great. But he put his team above himself.

There are so many ways that Joe Burrow is a special athlete. And this is just another example of that.