Former LSU QB Joe Burrow didn’t grow up wanting to play quarterback

Former LSU football star Joe Burrow had one of the greatest seasons ever for a college player in 2019.

Burrow, who was the No. 1 pick by the Cincinnati Bengals in the 2020 NFL Draft, put up insane stats while leading the Tigers to a 15-0 season and a national championship.

The 2019 Heisman Trophy winner passed for 5,671 yards, 60 touchdowns, and only six interceptions as a redshirt senior.

Those are ridiculous numbers.

They’re even more ridiculous when you consider that Burrow didn’t want to be a quarterback while he was growing up in Ohio.

Joe Burrow wanted to play on the defensive side of the ball

Burrow, who started his collegiate career at Ohio State playing under Urban Meyer, is the son of former Ohio defensive coordinator Jimmy Burrow.

The elder Burrow served as the Bobcats’ defensive coordinator from 2005-2018.

It’s safe to say that Burrow learned plenty about defense growing up. And that’s the side of the ball he preferred, according to his dad.

It wasn’t until a youth coach told Burrow, who also excelled at baseball and basketball, that he was going to be the quarterback that playing on the offensive side of the ball became a reality.

Here’s what Burrow’s dad had to say recently about his son.

From Bengals.com:

"“They knew he was a coach’s son and he would have a pretty good handle on it. Plus, they heard he was a pretty good athlete, that he played baseball. They told him, ‘You’re the quarterback.’ I never asked him if he wanted to play quarterback. He always loved playing defense.”“He always loved defense. If you played it and also see it from a quarterback perspective, you kind of see them put together over the years,” Jimmy Burrow says. “Knowing I was the defensive coordinator for the Bobcats and that I coached the safeties, I’m sure there was an attraction to watching the defense instead of watching the offense all the time.”"

This is likely one of the reasons Burrow sees the field so well. He grew up watching the defensive side of the ball and studying how to attack offenses. So he understands the point of view of the defense and what they’re trying to accomplish. And he uses that information to exploit defensive weaknesses.

Another day, another great Joe Burrow anecdote. It feels like this is becoming a weekly occurrence at this point.