Joe Burrow entered college as a largely respected quarterback who chose his in-state school, Ohio State, but after later losing out on the Buckeyes’ quarterback job, he moved south to LSU, where he played for two seasons and dug into the name in Louisiana and FBS lore after Compiling an all-time great 2019 season that saw Burrow win the Heisman Trophy and the Tigers win the National Championship.
Here’s everything you need to know about Joe Burrow’s college career.
Joe Borough Vitals
Schools: Ohio State, LSU
position: quarterback
Height: 6-4
Weight: 221 pounds
Years of activity: 2015-19
Below are the stats of Joe Burrow’s college career. You may need to swipe right to view the full stats.
| year | Toys | completions | Efforts | % comp | yards | Yes | TD | int | evaluation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 5 | 22 | 28 | 78.6 | 226 | 8.1 | 2 | 0 | 169.9 |
| 2017 | 5 | 7 | 11 | 63.6 | 61 | 5.5 | 0 | 0 | 110.2 |
| 2018 | 13 | 219 | 379 | 57.8 | 2894 | 7.6 | 16 | 5 | 133.2 |
| 2019 | 15 | 402 | 527 | 76.3 | 5671 | 10.8 | 60 | 6 | 202.0 |
| Professional life | 38 | 650 | 945 | 68.8 | 8,852 | 9.4 | 78 | 11 | 172.4 |
Where did Joe Burrow go to college?
Joe Burrow attended Ohio State in 2015, when he redshirted as a freshman before playing sparingly as a reserve during the 2016 and 2017 seasons. He then transferred to LSU as a Class A transfer, allowing him to play as the Tigers’ starting quarterback for two seasons. , and capped off an all-time great season by both a quarterback and a team player, as LSU went 15-0 to win the title. National Championship and Burrow won the Heisman Trophy.
What kind of prospect was Joe Borough in high school?
In high school, Burrow was a four-star recruit, according to 247Sports Composite’s rankings, which placed him among the top 300 prospects nationally. From Athens High School, Burrow chose Ohio State over reported scholarship offers from Boston College, Cincinnati, Iowa State, Kentucky, Maryland, Minnesota, NC State and Virginia Tech, among others.
What was Joe Burrow’s record in college?
In the games Burrow played in college, his team went a combined 34-4, which included 10 games in which he played sparingly as a backup at Ohio State. The Buckeyes went 9-1 in those games.
At LSU, Burrow went 25-3, including a 15-0 national championship season in the 2019 campaign.
Records set by Joe Borough
Here are some of the notable statistical records and rankings that Burrow has set in college:
- 1st in FBS history in touchdowns in a single season: 60 touchdowns (2019)
- 1st in FBS history in total yards of offense in a season: 6,039 yards (2019)
- 1st in FBS history for most touchdowns responsible in a season: 65 touchdowns (2019)
- 1st in FBS history in terms of points responsible in a single season: 392 points (2019)
- 1st in SEC history in terms of completion percentage in a season: 76.3 percent (2019)
- First in SEC history in passing yards in a single season: 5,671 yards (2019)
- First in LSU history for career completion percentage: 68.5 percent
- First in LSU history in consecutive completions: 17 completions
- First in LSU history in passing touchdowns in a game: 7 touchdowns
- First in LSU history in career touchdown passes: 76 touchdowns
- T-1st in LSU history in rushing touchdowns by a quarterback in a game: 3 touchdowns
- T-1st in LSU history in rushing touchdowns by a quarterback in a season: 7 touchdowns
- Second in FBS history in passing efficiency in a single season: 202.0 (2019)
- Second in LSU history in career passing yards: 8,565 yards
- Second, third, fourth, fifth, eighth and ninth in LSU history in passing yards in a game
- Third in FBS history in career passing efficiency: 172.4
- 4th in FBS history in passing yards in a season: 5,671 yards (2019)
- Fifth in FBS history in career yards per attempt: 9.37 yards
- Part of one of five teams in FBS history with a 5,000-yard passer, a 1,000-yard receiver and a 1,000-yard rusher
What are some of Joe Burrow’s best college games?
Here are some of Burrow’s highlights in college:
LSU 45, Ole Miss 16 | September 29, 2018
LSU started 4-0 in Burrow’s first season in Baton Rouge, but his completion percentage was 50 percent or worse in three of four games and he had thrown for less than 200 yards in three of those games. He only had three passing touchdowns over four games. Then Burrow and the Tigers played Ole Miss.
He completed 18 of 25 passes (72 percent) for 292 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions, while rushing for 96 yards and a score, putting together the kind of performance he would have on a weekly basis over the next season.
Texas A&M 74, LSU 72 (7OT) | November 24, 2018
In an all-time game, Texas A&M and LSU put together for 146 points in a seven-hour overtime thriller. In a losing effort, Burrow completed 65.8 percent of his 38 pass attempts for 270 yards and three touchdowns, while also rushing for 100 yards and three scores on the ground. His previous career high for total touchdowns in charge in a game was four and he had six in this contest, which was obviously played under unique circumstances given the seven overtimes.
LSU 40, UCF 32 | January 1, 2019
LSU met previously undefeated UCF in the 2019 Fiesta Bowl, after the Knights’ single-season undefeated season culminated in a bowl victory over Auburn. After LSU trailed 14-3, Burrow led three touchdown drives—each ending in a passing touchdown—in a 10-minute stretch of game time, and the Tigers eventually won by eight.
Boro threw for 394 yards and four touchdowns in the win, both then-highs.
LSU 45, Texas 38 | September 7, 2019
In a top-10 game on the road, Burrow completed nearly 80 percent of his 39 attempts for 471 yards and four touchdown attempts, three of which went to Justin Jefferson. The only Texans lead was 10-7, as the Tigers consistently outgained the Longhorns and scored 22 points in the fourth quarter to seal the win on the road.
LSU 46, Alabama 41 | November 9, 2019
LSU ended Alabama’s eight-game winning streak in the series—LSU’s most recent win was its infamous 9-6 win in overtime in 2011—with a five-point win at Tuscaloosa, in which Burrow completed 31 of 39 attempts for three touchdowns. The Tigers put together four scoring drives in the second quarter to take control of the game and, as a result, the SEC West.
LSU 63, Oklahoma 28 | December 28, 2019
Burrow was responsible for eight total touchdowns in a blowout victory over Oklahoma, as he threw for 493 yards and seven touchdowns, while running for another score. The Tigers led 49-14 at halftime, as Borough connected with Justin Jefferson for four first-half touchdowns, and they could have scored more points if they hadn’t taken their foot off the gas.
LSU 42, Clemson 25 | January 13, 2020
Burrow led LSU to a 15-0 season and a national championship as he put together another stellar performance, completing 31 of 49 passes for 463 yards and five touchdowns, while rushing for another. Clemson led 17-7 in the first 20 minutes of the game, but the Tigers rocked a 21-point streak and outscored the Tigers 35-8 the rest of the way.
What awards did Joe Borough win in college?
The following are the awards and honors Burrow won in college:
- 2019 Heisman Award Winner
- 2019 Maxwell Award Winner
- 2019 Walter Camp Prize Winner
- 2019 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award Winner
- 2019 Davey O’Brien Award Winner
- 2019 Manning Award Winner
- 2019 Lombardi Award Winner
- 2019 AP College Player of the Year
- College Football Player of the Year 2019
- 2019 SEC Tournament Game MVP
- 2019 Peach Bowl Offensive MVP
- 2019 Fiesta Bowl Offensive MVP
- 2019 Unanimous All-American
- 2019 SEC Offensive Player of the Year
- 2019 First-Team All-SEC
What did people say about Joe Borough?
Former LSU wide receiver Justin Jeffersonhaving LSU defeated Ole Miss in 2018: “LSU used to be a running offense. Distributing the ball like we do now is a very good feeling for this offense, especially the receivers.”
LSU coach Ed Orgeronafter LSU’s win over Ole Miss: “I’m excited about Joe Burrow’s play. Joe can make throws. I know he can make decisions and I know he can scramble.”
Orgeronafter LSU defeated UCF in the Fiesta Bowl: “It looked like the passing game we wanted. Joe was on top.”
Oregonafter LSU defeated Texas 45-38 in 2019: “Man, he was so excited. The kid is a football player. He lives for the moment and I’ll tell you, those were some tough plays.”
Florida coach Dan Mullenafter LSU beat Florida 42-28 in 2019: “I don’t think we were able to put pressure on him, and when we did, he did a great job of scrambling.”
Orgeronon LSU’s 46-41 win over Alabama in 2019: “It’s one of our best here. But we still have four games left and we’re going to try to win every game and bring the championship back to Louisiana.”
Former LSU running back Clyde Edwards Hillierafter LSU beat Georgia 37-10 in the 2019 SEC Championship: “Joe is the heart of this team.”
Former Georgia safety JR Reedafter LSU’s defeat of Georgia: “He’s a great athlete, man. We had a lot of plays we were supposed to make, and he’d just come out of it.”
Orgeronafter LSU beat Clemson to win the 2020 CFP National Championship: “He’s one of the greatest players in LSU history. He’s done so much for Louisiana State and LSU. We’re so grateful to Joe Burrow.”