JD PicKell: Caleb Burton to Auburn is a 'sneaky big' transfer commitment

College football programs can be deemed winners and losers in just about any category, especially when it comes to acquiring talent. During the spring transfer portal window, you could count the Auburn Tigers as among the winner for that window. Auburn picked up another high-quality quarterback and former Michigan State Spartans starter, Payton Thorne. But On3’s J.D. PicKell believes the Tigers had another ‘ sneaky good’ acquisition in former Ohio State wide receiver Caleb Burton.

“Caleb Burton was a four-star guy in the 2022 cycle. And I’ll just say this about Caleb Burton, or any Ohio State wide receiver that does end up hitting the portal; just because you weren’t the guy as a freshman at Ohio State doesn’t mean you can’t ball,” said PicKell. “Caleb Burton (is) about five-foot-11 (and) 170 pounds. If you were good enough to go to Ohio State, you’re good enough to make some noise in other places. It’s a crowded wide receiver room; we all know that.

“So the opportunity for him, I think, is to step into a place at Auburn that doesn’t have a ton of options in that wide receiver, especially at the slot position with the Tavarous Dawson hitting the portal. Caleb Burton could help Auburn this year. I don’t think you gotta wait around and develop him and then find a role for him. Like he’s a guy who can help you in 2023.”

Burton didn’t play in his freshman year at Ohio State but was a big-time get in their 2022 class. Burton was a four-star prospect from Lake Travis, TX, per On3’s Industry Rankings. He was also rated as the No. 160 overall player and No. 28 wideout in his cycle.

“Really technical route runner. Again, I think he fits in the slot. I keep going back to this; just because you didn’t play Ohio State doesn’t mean you can’t ball. The most extreme example of that is Jameson Williams; he’s in the league now.”

Only time will tell whether or not Burton enjoys the same level as Williams did. After getting beat out by the trio of Garrett Wilson, Chris Olave, and Jaxon Njigba-Smith, the now Detroit Lion hopped in the portal and headed to Tuscaloosa, AL. That appeared to be the right move for Williams, as he ended up as a first-round pick despite an ACL injury late in the season. Now let’s see if Burton enjoys the same level of success down the road in Auburn.