Jermaine Burton focused more on winning a title than his production

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Jermaine Burton is entering his second year in Alabama’s program after transferring over from Georgia prior to last season. With a full year with the Crimson Tide under his belt, the senior wide receiver explained the biggest difference going into Year 2.

“It’s definitely a learning process and stepping into the roles of being more of a leader to the young guys and overall to the team,” Burton said Thursday. “Being around this team for the past year, I’ve just adapted off the atmosphere and environment. I feel like really this environment of like this team really put me into my mode, which makes me just want to see nothing but success and want to work harder.

“The more I’ve been around these guys, the more I’ve become more driven and dedicated to them. Seeing how much and understanding each of my players, we all have different backgrounds and history. We all have different whys. It could be the same or our mom or our little brother or little sister or anybody. When you learn what your teammate is doing it for, it makes you go harder because now you know why they’re doing it. You know why they’re going 100 percent for their family. It just make you want to help them more.”

Burton is entering his second season at Alabama but fourth at the collegiate level after a couple of years at Georgia. He joined the Crimson Tide last offseason and ended the 2022 campaign as the team’s leader in receiving yards. Burton posted career-highs in catches (40), yards (677) and receiving touchdowns (7) after appearing in all 13 games and making 12 starts.

But the second-year receiver hasn’t received as much offseason attention as other returners like Ja’Corey Brooks or the trio of now-sophomores or even junior college transfer Malik Benson. As Alabama inches closer to the start of the 2023 campaign, does Burton feel overlooked?

“Considering all the outside noise and whatnot is natural,” Burton said. “People are going to talk outside, the news, media. At the end of the day, we still have one goal and that’s to win. I’m not really focused on how many yards I have or how many touches or touchdowns or anything like that.

“If I can do the most minimum but at the end of the day get a national championship with this team, I’ll do it.”

Burton is the only senior in Alabama’s wide receiver room, and the veteran is taking on more of a leadership role this offseason. Outside of Burton, Brooks and Benson, the rest of the Crimson Tide’s receiving corps – which consists of eight scholarship players – are either going into their first or second years in the UA program. Are any of them standing out to the senior?

“This is 100 percent honest: each and every last young guy in that receiver room have had the potential to be something that wasn’t expected from anybody,” Burton said. “I really look forward to seeing how those guys work. With how much we do every day, they are young, so it’s a lot on them. To see them really fight through adversity when they’re tired and even ask questions … that’s really my main thing. 

“When I see young guys asking questions, that’s really my motive of going even harder. When a young guy asks questions, it just goes to show they want to learn and they want to be more involved. That’s what these young guys do. They want to work, they want to know and they want to ask questions. Be more involved and have that role.”

Burton on chemistry with all three quarterbacks

Alabama returns a lot of its top wide receivers from last year’s team, but they will have a new quarterback throwing them the ball this fall. Jalen Milroe, Ty Simpson and Tyler Buchner are all competing for the starting job behind center. As someone who has caught passes from all three this preseason, Burton shared how their chemistry is developing with the receivers.

“I’ve seen them all working,” Burton said. “It’s definitely a different drive in that room. I love the way they’re working, I love the way they’re trying to all communicate. We’re just all leaving it up to them to come up with that chemistry and just waiting on the right amount of time.”

He was also asked about the challenges of catching passes from multiple quarterbacks.

“Whichever quarterback is in, it’s our job as a receiver, and as for that quarterback, to go 100 percent, regardless, and execute that specific play,” Burton said. “We really try to slow more down instead of just trying to go, go, go. Really slow down and look at the play and try to execute each play, play by play.”

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