Denzel Burke addresses if recent history vs. Michigan impacted decision for so many players to return

One of the biggest storylines of the college football offseason was the decision of several Ohio State football players to return to the Buckeyes despite being projected as selections in the 2024 NFL Draft. Which paired with several impactful transfer portal additions gives Ohio State one of, if not the, strongest roster in the country.

One of those players was All-American cornerback Denzel Burke, who returned for his fourth season in Columbus despite having a first/second round grade for the NFL Draft.

During his three seasons with Ohio State, the Buckeyes have been defeated by rival Michigan straight times in their regular season finale. And at Big Ten Media Days in Indianapolis, Burke was asked how much of a part those loses to Michigan impacted his decision to come back along with his teammates.

“Every part of it, honestly,” Burke said. “No gold pants, no natty.”

“So that was a big part of one of the reasons why we came back and we’re all on the same page. We got to win every single game no if, ands, or buts about it.”

Since 1934 Ohio State players have received a gold pants pendant following wins over Michigan in The Game. A pendant that Burke and his teammates have not yet obtained from the 2021 class forward.

Burke did not shy away from loses to Michigan motivating his return, and overall at media days his teammates and coaches also did not from their lofty goals this upcoming season. Knowing that on paper they’re built to achieve their goal of winning a Big Ten and national title.

“The term that a lot of them gave me was unfinished business, they felt like they wanted to have something to show for all the work they put into the program,” head coach Ryann Day said. “That was what a lot of them said to me. But like you said, each of them kind of did it on their own. That being said, I think they were in communication a lot to get started.”

“I think you owe it to the guys that came back, these guys didn’t come back for no reason, they came back for a reason and we owe that to them. You know as coaches we owe that to them, as everybody else who is part of the program that are there to support them,” Day explained. “We’re thinking big, and these guys are thinking big, and we know what’s at stake and we want to do everything we can to have them leave with a legacy behind and a bunch of hardware.”

Burke will also have the chance to become Ohio State’s program leader in starts by a cornerback and career pass breakups this season. But those accomplishments and other individual accolades likely pale in comparison to Ohio State defeating their rival and reaching championship heights.