Could Ohio St. Grad Transfer QB Be Answer For Texas Tech?

Joe Burrow, a graduate transfer from Ohio State, has been linked to Texas Tech making many fans wonder if he could be an answer this fall at QB.

Following the Texas Tech spring game, the most critical offseason position battle remains unsettled; quarterback.  Now, a new name is being mentioned as a possible answer at the helm of the “Air Raid” offense for Kliff Kingsbury as he enters what many believe to be a do-or-die season.

Wednesday, Joe Burrow, a grad transfer with two years of eligibility remaining announced his intention to transfer from Ohio State.  The former 4-star prospect had been in a tight quarterback battle in Columbus before a broken thumb late in the spring caused him to lose ground to the two other quarterbacks in contention, Dwayne Haskins and and Tate Martell.

Now, Burrow is being linked to numerous programs in need of help at QB.  Ari Wasserman, a beat writer covering Ohio State for “The Athletic” believes the Red Raiders are squarely in the mix.

In addition to the three programs mentioned in the above tweet, Burrow is also being linked to Florida, Nebraska and Ohio according to other “insiders” on Twitter.  But what makes this transfer such a desirable target for so many programs?

In 2015, Burrow was the No. 8 dual-threat quarterback in the nation and the No. 280 overall prospect nationally.  But in his time at Ohio State, Burrow has played only sparingly waiting his turn behind former Buckeye J.T. Barrett.  In two seasons, the 6-foot-3, 215-pounder has thrown for just 287 yards and two touchdowns in a backup capacity.

Still, those meager statistics are similar to the combined statistics of the three current candidates for the Red Raider starting job.  Between them, McLane Carter and Jett Duffey have thrown for 375 yards and two touchdowns with 237 of those yards coming in Carter’s only career start last season at Texas. The third candidate, Alan Bowman is a true freshman who has impressed this spring but who remains a bit of a long shot to win the job.

Thus, it is easy to see why Burrow is an exciting option in the mind of many Texas Tech fans.  He has earned his degree so he would be eligible to play this fall despite having two years of eligibility left.

However, there is no guarantee that Burrow would be able to learn the Red Raider offense, which is significantly different than Ohio State’s, well enough in a handful of months to be able to execute it better than Duffey or Carter who have both spent multiple years in the system.

It would be wise for Texas Tech fans to keep from pinning all of 2018’s hopes on Joe Burrow.  There are a number of high-profile programs interested in him making it seem unlikely that Kingsbury could bring him to Lubbock.  And should that happen, there is no guarantee that he would be a better player than what Kingsbury has on the roster.

Next: Texas Tech RB Demarcus Felton To Transfer

Certainly, it would be great to add another viable option at the most important position on the field.  But Burrow seems to be a long shot and fans looking for a savior at QB should probably continue hoping for Duffey or Carter to be that guy.