Brian Kelly never coached Joe Burrow, but the two share a savory connection, even if LSU's new coach is a bit salty about it.
LSU's new coach has a "petit filet" named after him at Jeff Ruby's Steakhouse in Cincinnati. But that doesn't quite measure to the Joe Burrow steak in Baton Rouge, which he described as "a massive steak with crab étouffée on it."
"Like, really?" Kelly joked after the Tigers' Spring Game this week. Oh that’s right, he won a national championship, didn’t he."
But steak measurements aside, the new Tigers coach was glad to host the LSU quarterback legend in Baton Rouge, along with several other members of the 2019 title winners. That group included TE Thad Moss, RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire, WR Justin Jefferson, CB Derek Stingley Jr. and, of course Burrow.
When the group emerged at Tiger Stadium midway through the first half, it drew the loudest cheer of the day from the fans on hand at Tiger Stadium, many of whom were wearing No. 9 Burrow jerseys which continue to be the most popular among fans for good reason. LSU shared a video of that group's entrance with the caption: "The Boys are Back Together."
Burrow (Bengals), Moss (Bengals) and Edwards-Helaire (Chiefs) have already made Super Bowl appearances in their young NFL careers, Jefferson just missed winning NFL rookie of the year and is a star with the Minnesota Vikings, and Stingley is expected to be a top pick in the upcoming NFL Draft.
Also on hand was former LSU star safety Tyrann Mathieu, who has been a staple this offseason around the team's programs, though he attended the game separately from that group.
Related
And even without shared coaching-player connections, Kelly notes that he and Burrow have similar paths that brought them to Baton Rouge. The new Tigers coach is also an outsider who is coming to Louisiana in hopes of leading the football program back to title heights.
"We had a great time and got a chance to talk a little bit about just his time here and how much it meant to him," Kelly said. "Being a guy from the midwest and certainly having spent time in the midwest how much that transition for me and him, there’s some similar paths and we’re sort of sharing the same experience, how much we’ve both enjoyed it.”
Related
