Meyer saw Smith-like potential in Burrow
In May 2014, then-ohio State football coach Urban Meyer called a 17year-old Joe Burrow and told him he could be the next Alex Smith.
At the time, Burrow was a four-star high school recruit hoping the Buckeyes would extend him a scholarship offer, and Smith was the starting quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs. Between 2003 and 2004, Meyer had coached Smith at Utah and developed Smith into the top pick in the 2005 NFL daft.
Meyer and Ohio State's coaching staff saw the same potential in Burrow.
“Urban Meyer would talk about Smith's awareness and his intelligence. You saw that in Burrow at a young age,” former Ohio State co-offensive coordinator Tim Beck told The Enquirer. “Burrow was able to pick things up really fast as one of the smarter guys in the room, even as a young player.”
Six years later, two of the best quarterbacks Meyer coached face off for the first time. On Sunday, Burrow's Cincinnati Bengals travel to Washington to face Smith and the Washington Football Team.
Burrow has been a fan of Smith's, especially after Meyer told Burrow they were similar. On the same phone call that Meyer compared Burrow to Smith, Burrow committed to Ohio State.
“It was exciting for me because he was a No. 1 overall pick,” Burrow said. “I think we're very similar in terms of our path and our game.”
In 2014, the Burrow-smith comparison seemed unlikely. In college, Smith was a Heisman Trophy candidate and one of the best quarterbacks in the country. In the NFL, Smith had already started 90 games and thrown for 17,593 passing yards.
Burrow was just a high school junior starting to get noticed. When Meyer watched Burrow's film, he remembered one of the best quarterbacks he ever coached.
“In terms of physical stature and things (Meyer) talked about with the mental makeup and just how smart Alex Smith was, we saw that in Joe Burrow,” Beck said. “With Joe Burrow being a coach's kid who grew up around the game, he just got the game. He did a really good job having a feel for the whole game, just like Alex Smith does.”
At Utah, Smith stood out because of his ability to make reads at the line of scrimmage as well as his competitive demeanor.
Smith's great weapon was his ability to break down a defense. He noticed small indicators of the opposing defense's coverage, like the safety's stance or the alignment of the nickel cornerback. After processing that information, Smith excelled at adjusting the play or changing the offensive line's protection at the right moment.
Burrow had that same strength from the moment he arrived at Ohio State.
“We were hard on Burrow because we knew there was something about him,” Beck said. “He had an ‘it factor' and a toughness as a coach's kid. As he got older and stronger and more developed, that all took place.”
The physical similarities between Smith and Burrow were also evident. Smith is 6 feet 4, 215 pounds. Burrow is 6-4, 221 pounds. In Beck's words, “they're both long, lanky guys.”
As a freshman, Burrow ran the scout team offense, matching up against future NFL stars Joey and Nick Bosa. Facing a starting defense filled with high NFL draft picks on a daily basis, Burrow showed his mettle.
“He didn't get rattled, and he was extremely tough,” Beck said. “He was one of the toughest guys I've been around.”
Burrow eventually transferred from Ohio State to LSU, won a Heisman Trophy and a College Football Playoff championship and became the Bengals' top draft pick in 2020. Along the way, he exceeded everyone's expectations, having one of the best statistical seasons in college football history in 2019.
Burrow's eventual success doesn't take away the meaning of Meyer's phone call six years ago. One of the best college football coaches of all time called him and said he could be as good as Alex Smith.
That's a compliment that Burrow still appreciates.
“That's where I wanted to go and that's what I wanted to be, and obviously (that) ended up happening,” Burrow said. “Now it's exciting to get to play that guy.”