LSU quarterback competition is clearing out for Joe Burrow
With two quarterbacks announcing their transfers this week, Joe Burrow is now the clear frontrunner to start for LSU.
Throughout Les Miles’ tenure as LSU football coach, finding a capable quarterback was a struggle. Things weren’t much better in Ed Orgeron’s first full season as head coach last year, but Danny Etling’s departure to the NFL opened up a competition for the starting job.
In May, Ohio State grad transfer Joe Burrow joined sophomore Myles Brennan, junior Justin McMillan and redshirt freshman Lowell Narcisse in the mix to start under center for LSU. Burrow was the presumed favorite upon arrival, but he is being made to earn the job.
On Tuesday, McMillan and Narcisse were not at practice, which sparked rumors they were considering transferring. Tuesday night, Narcisse took to his personal Twitter account to announce just that, and McMillan followed suit on Wednesday morning.
According to 247 Sports, Narcisse will transfer to a junior college and return to a four-year school after that. McMillan’s plans aren’t as clear, but since he has graduated, he could transfer to a FBS school and play immediately this year.
https://twitter.com/HONEYSLOTH_13/status/1029731686802747392
So LSU has just two scholarship quarterbacks left, Burrow and Brennan. But in the bigger picture, depth is not a big concern, with Tennessee Tech transfer sophomore Andre Sale and true freshman Jordan Loving also on the roster. Sale started seven games for his former FCS school before moving on to LSU back in January, so all may not be lost if something were to happen to both Burrow and Brennan at some point this season.
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It’s easy to lament kids of this generation transferring in the face of competition. Even though it’s pretty late to go elsewhere with any great chance to play this upcoming season, Narcisse and McMillan presumably know they have options out there and saw the writing on the wall at LSU. And that writing has Burrow atop the depth chart for the Sept. 2 season opener against Miami.