Butterfly Effect: What if Joe Burrow never transferred from Ohio State to LSU?
What happens to the Tigers if Joe Burrow never transferred to LSU?
There were several great players on LSU’s national championship-winning team in 2019. But the Tigers do not win their first national title since 2007 if it’s not for Burrow’s heroics and his golden right arm. You don’t get compared to Tom Brady for no reason.
Take Burrow away from LSU and replace him with any other quarterback not named Trevor Lawrence, Tua Tagovailoa, Jalen Hurts or Justin Fields and the Tigers are not in a position where they are the reigning champs and can lay claim to being one of the best teams of all-time.
Burrow thrived under passing game coordinator Joe Brady’s wide-open passing attack. He helped Brady go from obscure former assistant with the New Orleans Saints to a Broyles Award winner to offensive coordinator of the Carolina Panthers in a few short months.
He helped change the reputation of LSU head coach Ed Orgeron. Coach O is a living legend who will never have to buy a plate of crawfish in the state of Louisiana as long as he lives. He was the Coach of the Year for many reasons, but he wasn’t always revered as someone who would make a great head coach. He failed at Ole Miss and was passed up at USC despite a 6-2 record as an interim. 15-0 later and Coach 0 is a beloved figure who has erased the pain of the end of the Les Miles era and helped erase the sting of Nick Saban leaving the program high and dry.
It doesn’t happen without Burrow on campus.
The offense would still work and players like Ja’Marr Chase, Justin Jefferson, Terrance Marshall and Clyde Edwards-Helaire likely all have good-great seasons, but it wouldn’t be to the same video-game-numbers level with Burrow.
Chase probably doesn’t win the Biletnikoff. Jefferson probably isn’t viewed as a first-round lock in the 2020 NFL Draft and Edwards-Helaire may be viewed as a Day 3 prospect, not a potential Top-40 pick.
Not having Burrow as their quarterback literally would have cost these players millions and altered their NFL trajectory. With Burrow, their talents were showcased and they made the plays when given the opportunity. Without Burrow, their talents would have been suppressed like no many other great LSU skill position players.
As a team, LSU likely finishes in third place in the SEC West behind some combination of Alabama and Auburn (more on them later) and nowhere near making the College Football Playoff and all the residual benefits (recruiting, financial) that come with it.
LSU fans know how fortunate they are to have had Burrow and Burrow is fortunate to have had LSU. It was the perfect marriage that resulted in absolute brilliance.