Every weekend, students look forward to seeing tweets from a Twitter account called Big Jay Burner (BJB), an account run by a sophomore studying aerospace engineering at the University of Kansas.
On a sunny day in June 2022, two students wanted to create a joint Twitter account to talk about all things KU. Unable to agree on a name, the two created separate accounts, and thus, Big Jay Burner was born.
“Both BJ Sports and I wanted to have accounts where we could tweet about KU without flooding our personal Twitter accounts, where a lot of our followers weren't KU fans, so we agreed to make a shared account,” BJB said. “We had this idea before going home for the summer last year, but we weren't able to agree on a name, so we ended up just making our own individual accounts.”
BJB found his fame during the 2022 football season once he let his personality come through his tweets, and soon his brand was cemented as the stereotypical college student.
“Originally, I was just tweeting out my random KU sports thoughts, but once football season started, I began to let my personality shine through the account,” BJB said. “It really started to grow, though, when I began treating the account as my personal diary."
BJB said he had no idea the account would blow up this big, but in September 2022, he started to see the account’s potential.
“It wasn't until around September that I realized my account had the potential to grow to the size that it is right now,” BJB said. “That's when I started to cement my "brand" as a stereotypical college student who has a lot of thoughts about sports, a lot of homework, and probably the most memorable part, a lot of nights out.
The BJB account is most well-known for its relatable college student content and outlandish “drunk tweets.”
I made it to my 9am this morning, I think I’ll reward myself by skipping it the rest of the week
— Big Jay Burner (@BigJayBurner) April 24, 2023
“One of my main goals with my account as of late is to give my alumni followers a first-hand account of Lawrence and the KU experience right now. Probably 75% of my tweets are made with this intention in mind,” BJB said. “The other 25% are made for my own enjoyment, to be completely honest. If I find something funny, there's a good chance I'm going to tweet about it whether or not anyone else finds it funny or even cares.”
After hitting Bullwinkles and the Jayhawk Cafe, BJB said a night out isn’t complete without a slice from The Wheel.
“No matter what night it is, though, I always end it by getting a slice or two of Wheel pizza because those slices of pizza prevent hangovers like nothing else,” BJB said.
Upon graduating in 2025, BJB hopes to transition the account into a more serious account, continuing the focus around KU.
“My postgrad plans for the account are far from solidified, but as of right now, I plan on transitioning it into a more serious account still centered around KU, similar to Jayhawk Talk and Bryson Stricker,” BJB said. “I definitely still want to let my personality shine through, just a little less college life and a little more adult life.”
Despite the account's popularity, BJB said he intends to keep his identity anonymous. Therefore the question still remains: who is Big Jay Burner?
