Urban Meyer Scouts Bengals QB Joe Burrow: 'What a Monster!'

Urban Meyer knew Joe Burrow would be special past his time in Columbus.

Urban Meyer tries to live with no regrets in his life. What happened in the past cannot be changed, so there's no sense in trying to dwell on the negatives in the future. 

Still, Meyer might be content with watching quarterback Joe Burrow walk away from the Ohio State Buckeyes via the transfer portal in 2018, but that doesn't mean he isn't impressed with his career thus far in the NFL. 

"Gosh, what a monster he is. He was really unrecruited," Meyer said on the "All Things Covered" Podcast with Minnesota Vikings cornerback Patrick Peterson and former NFL defensive back Bryant McFadden. "My quarterback coach Tom Herman went down to watch him, and I remember him taking his cell phone and video tapping him from his cell phone. And he said, 'I just found your next Alex Smith.'"

Meyer, who coached Smith at Utah, offered Burrow a scholarship just before the start of the 2015 season. A native of Athens, Burrow was relatively unknown on the recruiting trail, holding Division I offers smaller programs like Boston College, Cincinnati, Iowa State, Kentucky, NC State and West Virginia. 

Burrow battled it out with Dwayne Haskins for the starting job in the 2018 offseason following the departure of JT Barrett. Haskins, who went on to set Big Ten and Ohio State records during his lone season as a starter, proved his worth by playing hero against rival Michigan in place of the injured Barrett in a 31-20 comeback. 

Following graduation, Burrow transferred to LSU for his final two years of eligibility. Once down in the bayou, he became a college football icon, leading the Tigers to a national championship in 2019 and winning the Heisman in the process. 

He would return to Ohio as the No. 1 overall pick by the Cincinnati Bengals in the 2020 NFL Draft later that spring. 

Meyer knew there was something special despite having limitations as a passer, but even he didn't think this NFL career would start in this fashion. In his second season, Burrow led the Bengals to a Super Bowl appearance against the Los Angeles Rams after pulling off the comeback against Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City in the AFC Championship game. 

In three years, Burrow has emerged as one of the top quarterbacks in the league, making Cincinnati a viable threat to win the AFC each season. Meyer said from the second two met, Burrow had "toughness and leadership" that would carry him far in life past the game of football. 

"That body grew up, obviously," Meyer said. 

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