NCAA
Joe Burrow Grew Up a Saints Fan Despite His Ohio Roots
Mike Thomas spent 23 years on staff and 16 years as the sports editor at The Herald News in Fall River, Mass., before joining Sportscasting in 2020. Mike has a deep knowledge of and passion for the NFL and NBA, and he excels at interviewing sports celebrities to find out their Super Bowl picks. A New England Newspaper and Press Association award-winning columnist and an avid sports memorabilia collector, Mike enjoys keeping up with all the sports news and the works of former Sports Illustrated columnist Rick Reilly. You can find more of Mike's work on Muck Rack.
Get to know Mike Thomas betterPublished05 Mar 2020
Joe Burrow just authored one of the most impressive college football seasons of all time. He completed 76 percent of his passes, threw 60 touchdown passes and carved up defenses to the tune of 5,671 passing yards. Oh, and he also won a national championship.
None of those accomplishments, however, may have been as exciting as getting to meet his childhood hero, New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees.
Joe Burrow idolized Drew Brees
At this year’s NFL combine, Burrow didn’t participate in any of the drills, but he did find time to offer some insight on that meeting between the two quarterbacks.
On a Sunday in early January, he and Brees were able to meet at the Saints practice facility where Burrow and his LSU teammates were prepping for their title game against Clemson.
“That was right before the national championship game so I was trying to act cool, like, talk about the coverages Clemson was going to play, act like I knew what was going on,” Burrow said in a report in The Advocate. “But deep down I was like, ‘that’s Drew Brees, like, I’m talking to him.”
Mutual respect
While Joe Burrow grew up a huge fan of Drew Brees, Brees has quickly grown into becoming a fan of the former LSU quarterback.
After Burrow added another piece of hardware – the Heisman Trophy – to his stellar season, Brees sent a message to Burrow to take care of business in the NCAA title game against Clemson.
Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints quarterback
“But I know there’s still work to be done. You guys have a great opportunity ahead of you. Stay focused. Keep your mind right. Keep your team together. Man, I know you deserve it, your team deserves it, Tiger Nation deserves it, South Louisiana deserves it, man. Take it one at a time. Let’s go get it done. See ya, man.”
Brees’ son Baylen also appears to be a part of the Burrow Fan Club as he was seen sporting a No. 9 LSU jersey during the meeting.
Joe Burrow’s bright future
Joe Burrow’s road to the NFL appeared bleak when he began his college career at Ohio State. In two seasons with the Buckeyes, he struggled. He was also playing behind current Washington Redskins quarterback Dwayne Haskins and decided to transfer in order to get more playing time.
He enrolled at LSU and was named the starter in his junior year and led his team to a 10-3 record, including a victory over UCF in the Fiesta Bowl. Burrow tossed 16 touchdown passes and ran for seven more scores and was then named a starter for his senior year.
Burrow’s final college season included signature victories over Alabama, a lopsided win over Georgia in the SEC title game and a 42-25 win over Clemson in the National Championship Game. Individually, he won just about every award, including AP College Football Player of the Year and the coveted Heisman Trophy.
Burrow is expected to be the clear-cut top selection in the upcoming NFL draft where his hometown Cincinnati Bengals will pick first.
