Sam Hubbard was “courting” old friend Joe Burrow in Miami

Before he became a superstar at LSU, Joe Burrow was a backup quarterback at Ohio State. In the two years since Burrow departed from Columbus, the Cincinnati Bengals began investing more in players from there. Currently, they roster four former Buckeyes.

And Sam Hubbard is the best one they have.

If Burrow becomes the fifth Ohio State alum to join the orange and black, Hubbard and Burrow would not only be reunited as teammates, but as close friends as well. Hubbard and Burrow were roommates at OSU and both left after the 2017 season, with Hubbard going to the NFL and Burrow going to Baton Rouge.

Two years later, Burrow is slated to become the Bengals’ first-round pick and Hubbard is already putting in the effort to get Burrow on board. Down in Miami for Super Bowl week, Carlos Dunlap said on ESPN’s Now or Never that Hubbard was meeting with Burrow on Dunlap’s South Beach restaurant Honey Uninhibited, where he has begun “courting” Burrow into being a Bengal.

In the NBA, this has been viewed as tampering in the past. Only this is the NFL, and not free agency at all. Since he won the National Championship, it seems like everyone in Cincinnati has had a hand in welcoming Burrow to the Queen City weeks before his name can even be called on draft day.

Of course, Hubbard isn’t the only player for Cincinnati Burrow has played with before. Offensive lineman Billy Price, Michael Jordan, and Isaiah Prince all practiced with Burrow in scarlet and gray uniforms, so some cohesion with the guys up front will already be established, be it on the second team or with the starters.

The worst kept secret in the NFL is a fun one for Bengals fans, and apparently for their players as well.