In 2015, Joe Burrow was ranked by 247Sports as the nation's 280th-best prospect and eighth-best dual-threat quarterback. Kyler Murray was No. 1 among dual threats; Jarrett Stidham was No. 2. No. 6 was Jauan Jennings, whom Tennessee turned into a receiver.
Burrow hails from Athens, Ohio, a small town in the southeastern part of the state. His family settled in Athens because his father, Jim, a football coach by trade, took a job as defensive coordinator at Ohio University, not to be confused with THE Ohio State University.
Joe Burrow signed with Ohio State, Columbus being 74 miles away up Highway 33. He redshirted as a freshman. He spent his sophomore and junior seasons backing up J.T. Barrett. As a fourth-year junior, Burrow would have been behind Dwayne Haskins. Having already graduated, Burrow was free to play immediately as a grad transfer.
