Joe Burrow Leaving Ohio State as Grad Transfer QB, Will Florida or Nebraska Be Interested?
By Jason Lisk
Joe Burrow, a redshirt sophomore at Ohio State, has announced his decision to transfer so that he can start at another school. He is set to graduate in June after three years of Ohio State, and presumably was told that he is not the choice to start next year as J.T. Barrett’s replacement. Burrow threw for 238 yards and two touchdowns in the spring game, but Dwayne Haskins, Jr. is expected to be the starter after coming into the game against Michigan last November and leading the team to a win.
Who might be interested in this late addition for a possible upgrade at the quarterback position? Sure, Burrow hasn’t played much because he was behind Barrett and Cardale Jones, but the competition at Ohio State is fierce. Anyone who gets Burrow has a potential starter for two years.
Two programs that immediately come to mind are Nebraska and Florida. Both have new coaches in Scott Frost and Dan Mullen, and unsettled and unproven QB situations. Tanner Lee is gone from Nebraska, while Florida has struggled with offense and the quarterback position prior to Mullen’s arrival. Burrow has a family connection to Nebraska as his dad and brothers played there, but that would require an intra-conference exception to stay in the Big Ten, even though his eligible to play in 2018. He would have no restrictions at Florida or anywhere outside the Big Ten.
Feleipe Franks is the likely current starter for Florida, and he averaged 6.3 yards per attempt and completed 54.6% of his passes a year ago as a freshman. Nebraska’s depth chart is far less settled, with Tristan Gebbia, Andrew Bunch and Adrian Martinez competing, after Patrick O’Brien already announced he was transferring. Burrow is more of a pocket passer like O’Brien and there may be a question of fit in Nebraska’s offense, though he could be a short-term solution.
Some other programs who also might merit a look:
TCU: They are replacing Kenny Hill. Freshman Shawn Robinson is in the lead to start, but no one has been named yet. Bonus? They play Ohio State in Dallas this season.
Memphis: The Tigers have put together sustained success with Mike Norvell, but Riley Ferguson is finished at QB. The QB Battle is unsettled between Brady White and David Moore.
Boston College: The Eagles put together a decent season a year ago, but the offense struggled in the passing game. Anthony Brown injured his knee last November and couldn’t take part in spring practice; Darius Wade transferred. Would they be interested in a passer to come in and solidify the position?