The one school that did not recruit Burrow was the one he kept close to his heart. Joe’s father and two brothers all played at Nebraska. The Cornhuskers never offered or even showed much interest, both in high school and during Joe’s transfer spring. This is still a point of contention for Dan Burrow, a safety for Nebraska at the turn of the century. “They were questioning his arm strength and whatever,” Dan says. “All Joe ever wanted to do is play for Nebraska. It really, really hurt me.” For Dan’s brother, it is motivation—all of it: his childhood team didn’t want him; he never got an invitation to the high school all-star showcase, Elite 11; people doubting his skills, even as recently as this year (see SEC Network’s Jordan Rodgers); and he didn’t win the starting job at Ohio State. “He felt like he won that job,” Dan says. “That really messed with him mentally.”
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