QBU

We’re gonna victory lap a little bit

You know, pre-2019 saying “LSU is a place to develop quarterbacks” wasn’t that crazy historically speaking, at least.

You of course had JaMarcus Russell go first overall in the 2007 NFL Draft; Matt Mauck (2004), Matt Flynn (2008) and Danny Etling (2018) all went in the seventh round of their respective drafts, while Zach Mettenberger went in the sixth and likely would have gone higher had it not been for his ACL tear at the end of the 2013 season.

If you wanna go back to drafts pre-2000, well LSU’s pretty well represented there, too. You had three quarterbacks drafted during the 1980s with Tommy Hodson going in the third round back in 1989, Jeff Wickersham going in the 10th round in 1986, and David Woodley going in the 8th round of the 1980 draft.

Bert Jones used to own the distinction of “highest drafted LSU quarterback” when he went second overall in 1973. Heck Y.A. Tittle was a first round pick twice! He was picked sixth overall by the Baltimore Colts in the 1948 NFL Draft, and then third overall by San Fransisco in the 1951 NFL Draft when the All-America Football Conference folded and players like Tittle were allowed to re-enter the NFL’s Draft. LSU’s produced three NFL MVPs in its history with Jones and Tittle being responsible for two of them. So yeah, not only could you get drafted as a quarterback at LSU, you could win MVP or, in Tittle’s case, make the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

While facts might have supported the “LSU is a quarterback factory” claim, anyone who watched LSU play football throughout the majority of the 2010s would say that quarterbacks at LSU will, as the NCAA adage goes, “go pro in something OTHER than sports.”

My time in Tiger Band was probably during the roughest patch that was LSU’s quarterback play wandering the desert. I played from 2011 through 2015 so I saw end of the Jordan Jefferson/Jarrett Lee tandem, Mett’s mediocre 2012 season, got duped into thinking Anthony Jennings was a future stud because of one (1) throw against Arkansas, and the Jennings-Harris disaster that was 2015. God’s got a funny sense of humor because He allowed me to see Mett’s awesome 2013 season only for it to be squandered by a poor defense and a championship-caliber offense instead spent New Year’s in Tampa. Thankfully that hasn’t happened to LSU since…

Anyway, as recently as six years ago, playing quarterback at LSU did NOT result in playing on Sundays. That was until Joe Burrow and Jayden Daniels came along and completely changed what it means to be an LSU quarterback.

Burrow and Daniels aren’t just starters in the NFL, they’re two of the very best. Burrow’s leading the NFL in yards (4,641) and touchdowns (42) and is completing just a tick under 70 percent of his passes. As recently as 29 days ago, the Bengals were dead in the water at 4-8, but Burrow hasn’t let Cincy die. The Bengals have won clawed all the way back to 8-8, and are still alive for the playoffs heading into the final weekend of the NFL season. They’ll need a lot of help, specifically a win over Pittsburgh and losses by the Miami Dolphins and Denver Broncos, but they’re still alive and it’s thanks in large part to Burrow. In a game against Denver that Cincinatti had to have in order to stay alive, Burrow turned into Superman.

Daniels, on the other hand, helped put Washington back in the playoffs for the first time since 2020 thanks to a remarkable rookie season that will more than likely end up with him hoisting the league’s Offensive Rookie of the Year award in February. Daniels has thrown for 3,530 yards, 25 touchdowns, and set a new NFL rookie record with 864 rushing yards. Washington went 4-13 last year without Daniels. With him they’re currently 11-5 and enjoying its first 11-win season since 1991. Y’all I wasn’t even alive the last time that Washington won 11 regular season games.

I’m biased of course, but Burrow and Daniels have equally strong MVP arguments. Burrow is refusing to let maybe the cheapest organization in sports fail, while Daniels is helping erode the rot that was the Dan Snyder-era in Washington. Burrow’s been sacked the fifth most times in the NFL this season (44), while Daniels is right behind him in sixth place. The Bengals defense is ranked 29th in the NFL in points allowed per game, while Washington is “only” 19th. Cincy’s defense also ranks 27th in yards allowed per game. If that’s not a case for Burrow or Daniels to be named the NFL’s most valuable player this year, then I’m not sure what is.

So to recap, you have two teams with two of the worst offensive lines in the NFL paired with two of the worst defenses in the league. One’s a playoff team and the other’s still got a chance to get in. The common denominator? They’re quarterbacked by LSU quarterbacks.

LSU likes to claim the DBU moniker; they produce NFL wide receivers like nobody else; but when it comes to the single most important position in organized team sports, LSU has maybe the two best quarterbacks in the game right now, and maybe another future first round pick currently on the roster

Maybe they really are QBU.