The NFL draft is tonight, which means this is the last day Joe Burrow will be primarily associated with LSU. By roughly 8:15 ET tonight, Burrow will transform from a Bayou Bengal to just a Cincinnati Bengal.
And with graduation day upon us, it’s a perfect time to stop and reflect. Burrow is every bit a storybook character, the favorite son left out of the mix at Ohio State who bet on himself by transferring to a foreign land. After modest success in Year One at LSU, he lit the world on fire in an unforgettable 2019 season: 76.3 percent completions on 527 passes for 5,671 yards with a whopping 60 touchdowns against six interceptions, good for an FBS record 201.96 rating, a record-breaking landslide Heisman victory, a national championship and, soon, a No. 1 pick.
As Burrow officially packs his bags to leave Louisiana -- though he assuredly left for NFL draft prep long ago -- to return to his native Ohio, Burrow purchased this billboard ad to thank the people of Louisiana for adopting him as one of their own.
A message from Louisiana's own...
— LSU Football (@LSUfootball) April 22, 2020
Joe Burreaux pic.twitter.com/QVhboLk9w4
This seems like the kind of thing LSU would do in Burrow’s name, but who cares. LSU fans will return the gratitude to Burrow a thousand fold all the same.