Joe Burrow's run to the national championship at LSU was just five seasons ago, but it might as well have been 50.
First off, Burrow and the Tigers won their title on Jan. 13, 2020; two months later, the country would essentially shut down due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
More importantly, the rules the 28-year-old Burrow played under were much different than the rules in place today. He signed with Ohio State in 2015 and remained a Buckeye through the 2018 spring game. As we know, he transferred to LSU a month after showing out in the Scarlet and Gray game, and the rest is history.
In an interview with Dan Patrick this week, Burrow agreed that he "probably" would have transferred before the spring before his fourth season on campus, but the rules in place at the time would have required him to sit a year unless he transferred as a graduate. And, after throwing all of 29 passes in his first three seasons on campus, Burrow wasn't looking to sit any longer.
Patrick then turned the conversation to Quinn Ewers, a player whom Burrow (presumably) has never met but a fellow quarterback with whom he shares a cosmic connection. Both players started their careers at Ohio State but did not see the field and did not make their fortunes until leaving Columbus.
Burrow's comment on Ewers's decision to leave high school early to secure an NIL deal at Ohio State undoubtedly makes many coaches wince.
"If you're going to be able to make seven figures in college, you've got go and take advantage of that," Burrow said. "If you're in high school and you're getting offered that, go wherever they're paying you the most."
Things, clearly, have worked out for Burrow. Rated the 13th best player in the state of Ohio in the class of 2015 by the 247Sports composite, Burrow set records for passing touchdowns and efficiency en route to the Heisman Trophy and the No. 1 overall selection in the 2020 draft by his hometown team, while leading one of the most celebrated teams in college football history -- a 15-0 run with wins over Texas, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Oklahoma and undefeated-and-defending national champion Clemson while averaging a national-best 48.4 points per game.
But it's interesting to think now how thinks would've worked out for the nation's No. 295 overall player if he was in the class of 2025, not 2015. Does he leave Ohio State after 2016 instead of the spring of 2018? If so, where does he go? And where is Burrow in 2035 if he'd taken his own advice?