Joe Burrow never got beyond the role of a substitute for the Ohio State Buckeyes. Which fed self-doubt and made the now 25-year-old think hard about a different career plan.

In his first year, he led the Cincinnati Bengals to the Super Bowl and also made his mark in many fashionable ways.

However, the path to the NFL was not an easy one for the quarterback – and in between, the now 25-year-old also considered career alternatives.

“Joe Cool as an investment banker? A few years ago, that wasn’t quite so improbable.

In Ohio only the backup

Because he didn’t get a leg up with the Ohio State Buckeyes at first, he didn’t play for three years and was a backup behind teammates like J.T. Barrett and Dwayne Haskins. As time went on, both incomprehension and uncertainty grew.

“I did the same job I always do and I didn’t play,” Burrow said on “NBC Sports.” “Of course, there was self-doubt at that moment.”

That’s because he gave it his all in training, felt he had offered good performances and, in addition, had the self-confidence to be able to deliver in the game. “But when you don’t get the opportunity to show what you can do, it’s frustrating,” Burrow said.

A situation that prompted him to consider a Plan B more intensely. “There were times when I started to get my CV up to scratch and thought about becoming an investment banker or something. “

Plan B a hit

He ended up opting for Plan B on the field, though, as Burrow transferred to Louisiana State University for the 2018 season, which turned out to be a slam dunk: he won the college title with the LSU Tigers in 2019, won the Heisman Trophy and was selected as the No. 1 pick by the Bengals in 2020.