While the discussion about a certain SEC quarterback’s possible transfer destinations has been dominating the national conversation, another situation has been unfolding in Columbus, Ohio.

And yes, SEC fans, you should be aware of it. Why?

Ohio State quarterback Joe Burrow announced Tuesday that he is transferring.

In doing so, Burrow becomes an extremely intriguing grad transfer option for a few SEC teams. What makes him special or any different from any other grad transfer quarterback?

Unlike most grad transfer quarterbacks, Burrow will have 2 years of eligibility left. That’s because he graduated Sunday, after which his dad had an interesting “on to the next challenge” tweet. As we know now, that was some foreshadowing.

Burrow also lit up Ohio State’s spring game (he did each of the past 2 years). In the 2018 spring game, he was 15 of 22 for 238 yards and 2 touchdown passes, but more important, he looked every bit like a starting quarterback.

Check out his final throw of the day (via Ohio State Buckeyes):

The question Ohio State fans have asked the past few weeks was whether that was his final pass in an OSU uniform. Now we know it was.

With Burrow hitting the open market, it wouldn’t be a surprise if quarterback-starved Florida made a push and pushed Feleipe Franks and Kyle Trask down the depth chart. Burrow is a dual-threat guy, and he’d be more advanced in Dan Mullen’s system than Franks or Trask. There’s reportedly some Florida interest from Burrow, too.

Let’s back up. I know what you’re thinking.

The last time Florida got excited about a grad transfer quarterback, Malik Zaire happened. Even Zaire had more career passing attempts than Burrow (he only has 39). Why would Burrow make sense for Florida, LSU or any SEC team looking for an immediate upgrade at the position? If Burrow were so good, why didn’t he start?

Well, arriving on campus to back up the guy who finished No. 5 in the Heisman Trophy voting as a redshirt freshman was an uphill climb. Not beating out J.T. Barrett — the guy who finished as the B1G’s all-time leader in touchdowns, passing touchdowns and total offense — is hardly a knock. Not winning the starting job over Dwayne Haskins — whom Urban Meyer called “the best QB prospect he’d ever seen” — isn’t that big of a deal, either.

And Burrow’s defense, he technically battled Haskins to the wire. Meyer never even named a starter, and claimed all spring that he wished someone would separate themselves from the pack.

How many SEC programs would Burrow immediately be in the conversation to start?

LSU would also make a lot of sense. Besides their love for Big Ten transfer quarterbacks (Florida does, too), Burrow could actually stretch the field. I know that’s a crazy concept for the Tigers. LSU’s quarterback battle is a 3-headed mystery that only got more confusing after Justin McMillan had the best spring game of the bunch.

Ed Orgeron is preaching patience to LSU fans who are ready to finally have a difference-maker at the position. Can Burrow be that guy? That we don’t know. As much as he’s been a practice/spring game warrior in his 3 years in Columbus, the guy has just 15 more passing attempts than Myles Brennan.

The great unknown is how Burrow would look against a live pass rush, especially in the SEC.

Credit: Joe Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports

Here’s the intriguing thing about Burrow, though. He was in Meyer’s system for 3 years. He has faced tons of NFL talent throughout his career, so the speed wouldn’t be a major adjustment.

And for what it’s worth, Burrow was dominant the last time he was a starting quarterback. Yeah, it was high school. Still, he was Mr. Football in the state of Ohio after passing for nearly 4,500 yards with 63 touchdowns and only 2 interceptions his senior year. The former 4-star recruit also had 2,000 rushing yards and 27 scores on the ground in his high school career.

That’s why some of the smaller Power 5 programs like Kentucky and Iowa State wanted Burrow when he was a recruit. Speaking of Kentucky, it wouldn’t be surprising if Mark Stoops made another major push to land Burrow. Given Stoops’ success in the state of Ohio, Burrow would fit right in. Surely Benny Snell wouldn’t mind playing alongside a quarterback who could stretch the field and have some mobility in the pocket.

So if you’re keeping track, that’s Florida, Kentucky and LSU that would make sense for Burrow. Who else would?

I think there’s actually a decent chance that Burrow would be the best quarterback on the roster if he went to Tennessee, but I highly doubt that scenario would ever present itself because fellow grad transfer quarterback Keller Chryst is set to arrive this summer.

What about Arkansas? Would Chad Morris really go outside the box to find his 2018 starter? Like Mullen, Morris might not have a natural fit in his offense. Burrow, as someone with accuracy and the ability to make a lot of those quick reads on throws outside the hashes, could work. But getting up to speed to play in that offense (literally) might be too steep a learning curve for him to master in fall camp.

It’ll be interesting to see whether Burrow takes some official visits. How many SEC schools will be on his list? Ironically enough, the biggest non-SEC competition could be Scott Frost at Nebraska, which was where Burrow’s dad and two older brothers went. The Huskers have a true freshman (former Tennessee pledge Adrian Martinez) and a redshirt freshman competing for the starting gig. That could be more attractive to Burrow.

Will Burrow be overvalued? Probably. That’s how it is for grad transfer quarterbacks. The unknown is tantalizing, and that’ll be the case with Burrow. It’s because of that reason that he’ll be an enticing option for several SEC teams.

And they’ll all pray that he’s not Zaire 2.0.