The Texas Longhorns picked up their first wide receiver pledge in the 2015 recruiting class with the commitment of Tallahassee (Fla.) Lincoln wide receiver John Burt on Sunday.
4-star WR John Burt commits to the Texas Longhorns
The Horns landed an out-of-state prospect at receiver after missing on several in-state options.
The 6’3, 180-pounder chose Texas over finalists Auburn, Florida State and Miami.
Thought to be a Florida State lean by some early in Burt’s recruitment, the hometown Seminoles never seriously pursued Burt in recent months. In fact, it was family connections to Austin through a grandmother and an aunt that swayed Burt’s childhood allegiances to Texas and away from Florida State, setting the stage for Burt’s familiarity with the city and the program.
A strong relationship with Auburn co-offensive coordinator/wide receivers coach Dameyune Craig and an appreciation for head coach Gus Malzahn’s unique attack helped keep the Tigers in the mix, while the Hurricanes weren’t included in Burt’s top three when he offered up Texas, Auburn and Florida State as his ordered list to SB Nation Recruiting at The Opening in early July.
At the time, Burt had also said that he planned another trip to Austin for late in the month, but was coy recently when asked about his plans, likely to maintain the drama of his announcement.
Burt first declared Texas his leader in March and while it took a while for the industry consensus to swing toward the Horns, by the time of his pledge, his 247Sports Crystal Ball predictions were at 50 percent in favor of Texas, though Auburn had trended late with some national analysts.
Other offers for Burt included Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Louisville, LSU, Maryland, Miami, Nebraska, North Carolina, Ohio State, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Tennessee, UCLA, USC and West Virginia.
A consensus four-star wide receiver, Burt is ranked as the No. 13 wide receiver nationally, the No. 22 player in the state of Florida and the No. 127 prospect in the country.
Burt’s a good athlete -- he ran a 4.59 40 at a Nike event, along with posting a more impressive vertical jump of 34 inches and a 20-yard shuttle of 4.25. As he matures physically, he should be able to improve on that verified 40 time, because his football speed is impressive.
At The Opening, he showed improvement with his shuttle (4.00 seconds) and his vertical (36.3 inches).
Burt has long arms and a lanky build with a projectable frame that already has some decent muscle mass. Eventually, he should play between 190 and 200 pounds and the fact that he’s already added some weight over the last year indicates he’s not a hard gainer.
An impact player on special teams, Burt not only makes plays as a punt and kick returner, but he’s also a member of the coverage unit and blocks punts, field goals and extra points. He notably blew up a punt returner downfield with a vicious form tackle on one play, and blocked well for a returner on another. In fact, Burt plays in nearly every phase of special teams for Lincoln, with the probable exception of his school’s field goal unit. But maybe he even does that, too.
As a receiver, he’s a smooth player in the open field, but he can also make defenders miss because he’s got some impressive shake for a prospect of his size. That size also allows him to run through tacklers at his shoulders or at his feet.
Burt has the body control to adjust to football and the hands to attack the ball outside of his frame, although his route running is considered one of the weaker facets of his game at this time.
With Burt’s pledge, the 13th of the 2015 recruiting class for Texas, the Longhorns moved up three spots in the 247Sports Composite team rankings to No. 16 nationally. Texas also has the No. 1 class in the Big 12.
