If QB race is 'equal' will Joe Burrow stay at OSU? He answers
Burrow answers the question on the minds of many Buckeye fans, plus much more
https://ohiostate.247sports.com/Article/Will-Joe-Burrow-stay-at-Ohio-State-He-answers-117382782
Leaving spring,
Urban Meyer says the quarterback competition between
Joe Burrow and
Dwayne Haskins is too close to call.
Is that enough for Burrow to stick around at Ohio State for his fourth-year junior season in 2018? Or does he need to be told he is the starter in order for him to stay?
That is the question Burrow was asked time and time again following his strong performance in the Buckeyes' spring game on Saturday.
"I just have to meet with my coaches to see what they're thinking and kind of meet in the middle," Burrow said.
Burrow was asked if he needs to hear something specific during said meetings to make up his mind.
"No, I don't think so," he said. "We just kind of have to have a conversation together, and that will be with coach Meyer, coach (Kevin) Wilson, coach (Ryan) Day, and kind of see how it goes."
What if the coaches tell him it's equal and that they want to push the competition into preseason camp and perhaps beyond?
"I would have to have conversations with my family and still my coaches here and my friends that I'm close to," Burrow said. "I'll have to make a decision."
Burrow made it clear he's not ruling anything out at this point in terms of whether to remain at Ohio State or perhaps transfer.
"I would say just about everything is on the table right now," he said.
However, he also made it clear that transferring is not what he wants to have transpire.
"It would be very hard for me to leave," he said. "I've put so much into this -- I've put my heart and soul in it -- and if I were to leave it would be pretty devastating for me. But at the same time, I would understand how they (OSU's coaches) went."
Later, Burrow was once again asked by a reporter whether he needed to be assured he is the Buckeyes' starter in order to stay.
"Well, I came here to play," Burrow said. "I didn't come here to sit on the bench for four years. And I know I'm pretty darn good quarterback and I want to play somewhere."
Bucknuts asked Burrow what the coaches told the QBs entering the spring game, or even prior to that. Did they say it was equal between Burrow and Haskins?
"We really haven't had conversations about it yet," Burrow said. "Those conversations happen after spring when everybody can kind of take a step back and evaluate it. But when you're in spring, it's kind of hard to do that because you're so focused on execution and writing the scripts and going hard every day in practice."
Meyer often says leadership and toughness are at the forefront of traits he looks for in a quarterback. Burrow believes that bodes well for him.
"If they were to go with me, I think those would be the areas that put me over the top," he said. "Obviously, Dwayne has an arm that you don't see a lot. I have a pretty darn good arm, too. But I think my leadership and my intangibles really came alive this spring."
Burrow definitely has a chip on his shoulder regarding all the chatter outside the program that he will eventually transfer.
"Yeah, I've heard for three years that I'm never going to play here, that I'm going to end up transferring, that I'm not good enough to play here," he said. "I just sit back, put my nose to the grindstone and work. And that's what I've done for three years and I think I've come a long way."
As for Burrow's spring game performance, he finished 14-of-22 for 238 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions, and outplayed Haskins.
"I think this was the best offseason I've had since I've been here," Burrow said. "I took a big step this spring. I think this spring I played about as well as I could have. I put everything I had into it and that decision is for the coaches."
"No, I would say it's a lot less stressful than actually being in the competition. Now, you can kind of just sit back and relax. You know the body of work that you had, and I know I played very well, and I also took a big step as a leader this spring as well. So, I'll kind of sit back and see how it plays out."
The 6-foot-3, 215-pound Burrow has played in 10 games during his Ohio State career (5 as a redshirt freshman in 2016; 5 in 2017). He is 29-of-39 for 287 yards with two TDs and zero picks during those contests.
For much more from Burrow, watch our video interview with him above.