Joe Burrow and Tate Martell never got the opportunity to start at Ohio State, and after a few seasons on the sidelines, both decided to move on.

Before the 2018 season, Burrow left for LSU. A year later, Martell left Columbus for Miami. And while the time they spent with the Buckeyes together might have been brief, Martell still has a ton of respect for Burrow.

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Monday night, Burrow led LSU to a national championship victory, defeating Clemson 42-25 in New Orleans. It capped a 15-0 season, in which the LSU quarterback also claimed the Heisman Trophy. After the victory, Martell sent a congratulatory message to his former teammate via Twitter.

“Playing with Joe, watching how Joe worked, knowing the person Joe is…” Martell wrote. “HE EARNED EVERYTHING THAT CAME TO HIM THIS SEASON! CONGRATS BROTHA!”

Burrow finished the season with 5,671 passing yards, 60 passing touchdowns, 65 total scores and a 76.3 completion percentage. All of those marks rank in the top three in single-season performances in FBS history.

It was a fitting end to the season for Burrow and LSU.