Ed Orgeron shares the recruiting pitch he gave Joe Burrow to join the LSU Tigers

Last month LSU coach Ed Orgeron backed up his reputation for being a stellar recruiter when he convinced former Ohio State quarterback Joe Burrow to come to Baton Rouge. Now that the rising junior is in the fold, Orgeron explained how the Tigers coaches sold Burrow on LSU.

Orgeron told The Daily Advertiser about the Tigers’ pursuit of the 6-foot-3, 214-pound Burrow. Burrow was considering Cincinnati and LSU until he decided to go to Baton Rouge after visiting the school from May 11 to May 13.

Orgeron said Burrow’s family wanted him to go to LSU and that the opportunity to compete for the starting job played a big role in Burrow’s decision.

"The chance to play in the SEC was big," Orgeron said. "What we told him was, 'There's an opportunity for you here. We don't have a starting quarterback right now. We're going to give you the opportunity to win the starting quarterback job, just like we do everybody else.' I told him, 'We started five true freshmen last year. Everybody has an opportunity to play here, but nothing's going to be given.'"

Orgeron credited LSU safeties coach Bill Busch for his role in reeling in Burrow. Busch was not only Burrow’s lead recruiter for the Tigers, but he was also a former defensive quality control assistant at Ohio State. Busch’s relationship with Burrow and his father, Jimmy, helped Busch sell the two on the Tigers.

Orgeron said the coaches had about a three-hour meeting with Burrow concentrated on football that felt like the turning of the tide in Burrow’s recruitment. Five days after the LSU visit, Burrow committed.

"I think the bottom line with Joe was he chose to compete at the highest level in the SEC," Orgeron said. "I respect him for that."

Burrow’s addition gives LSU four quarterbacks in competition to start in 2018. Orgeron told The Shreveport Times on Wednesday that none of the other quarterbacks have requested to transfer.

"There’s no starting quarterback at LSU right now," Orgeron told The Advertiser last week. "None has been named. He (Burrow) is going to just jump in the race. He’s going to have an opportunity to earn it just like everybody else. You have to fill spots on your roster where there's holes. Every one of those guys filled a need on our roster. You know, we didn't sign a quarterback last recruiting year, so this helps us. This is just like we signed a quarterback."

This story was originally published June 7, 2018 at 11:28 AM with the headline "Ed Orgeron shares the recruiting pitch he gave Joe Burrow to join the LSU Tigers."