Jager Burton Rediscovers Confidence Ahead of Another Potential Position Change

The Kentucky offensive line looked different when the Wildcats lined up during Wednesday’s spring practice. There was only one familiar face up front, but Jager Burton didn’t look like the same No. 62 we saw over the last four years.

He was larger than he’s ever been at the University of Kentucky, and not in a bad way, and he was snapping the ball to the quarterback. Burton has logged 31 starts in his career at guard, but he did play center for the first three games of the 2023 season. Now he’s trying his hand at the spot again, even if his head coach isn’t willing to say it’s a permanent move.

“We have a lot of combinations. We want to make sure we’re adaptable, flexible, and have guys play multiple positions,” Mark Stoops said Wednesday. “We’ve got some left tackles that are playing right. We have some guys that can swing. We feel good about our depth, much better about our depth. Evan (Wibberley, a center transfer from WKU) was a little banged up early in spring, so we’re just making sure we’ve got all of our bases covered.”

For one practice, it looked like a move that should stick. The interior of the Kentucky offensive line was moving bodies in the trenches. After practice, the veteran offensive lineman sounded different too, and not in a bad way.

Burton Building Confidence

Burton arrived on campus as a decorated high school recruit. A four-star talent from nearby Frederick Douglass High School, he was a Top 200 talent, given high expectations to continue the legacy of the Big Blue Wall.

During his redshirt season, Kentucky had one the best offensive lines in the history of the school. Darian Kinnard was Kentucky’s first Consensus All-American at offensive tackle in almost 50 years. Luke Fortner moved to center and became a third-round NFL Draft pick. They set the tone for the best offense of the Mark Stoops era, propelling Kentucky to 10 wins.

Following the season, offensive line coach Eric Wolford abruptly departed, leaving the cupboard bare for Zach Yenser. Kentucky was forced to do something atypical. They started a redshirt freshman at offensive guard, a year ahead of schedule. The results were what you’d expect. Burton was an SEC All-Freshman selection, but he spent most of the year drinking from a firehose as the offensive line transformed from a strength to a weakness.

“I started playing my redshirt freshman year,” Burton said. “The struggles and ups and downs of playing that young in the SEC, and you already lose a lot of confidence when you come from high school to college. You realize I’m not the biggest fish in the pond. That’s just SEC football.”

The following year, Yenser tried Burton at center. That experiment lasted three games before they pulled the plug. The offensive line continued to struggle. Burton did not develop into the ass-kicker many expected him to be and the criticism from fans followed. Eric Wolford returned to Kentucky and the initial returns weren’t great.

It was the perfect storm for the former Blue Chip talent to question his abilities. That’s when he got introspective and out of his comfort zone by being vulnerable with those who care for him the most, his parents.

“It’s hard sometimes to feel open enough to talk to your parents and really tell them what’s going on because you don’t want them to be disappointed. I had a couple long talks this offseason with my Mom and my Dad,” Burton said.

“Getting a point of view from someone else and seeing how they look at it. They don’t necessarily see it how I’m interpreting it in my head. It honestly flipped my whole mindset around. It’s been huge. I feel like it’s helped me a lot in the spring, for sure.”

Playing Center on the Same Page with the Guards

Jager didn’t just get confidence from his family. He’s receiving it from his coaches and teammates, too. It’s accomplished by communicating clearly, on and off the field. Players weren’t always hanging out together during their free time. They’re attending baseball games, hopping in the cold tub together, and every Friday this group of offensive line eats lunch at Dad’s Favorites. The little things off the field are paying dividends during practice.

“It feels really good being on the same plane. It’s kind of hard to explain for people who don’t play offensive line. Having the chemistry where we’re all on the same level makes it so much easier to pass that stuff off,” he said.

“It’s something that’s really hard to learn, but sometimes you get with three people and your sets are the same, your footwork is the same. I feel like we have that right now. It’s the easiest it’s felt to pass off twists and games in the inside. When it comes to bull-rushes and really sitting down and giving Zach or Cutter time to step up and really throw the ball. It’s felt great.”

Center did not come naturally when he gave it the college try two years ago. However, the time he spent at the spot has made this experience feel like riding a bike. It comes down to two simple things.

“Snap and then play,” he said. “Sometimes, you get so focused, especially on wide zone stuff, you’re taught to sprint. But if you sprint and haven’t snapped the ball yet, you’re sprinting with the ball and it’s not getting to the guy. It sounds super simple, but it’s something that necessarily doesn’t always click. Doing that and getting as many snaps as I can where it’s something that I don’t have to think about as much that it’s just second nature to do.”

Burton is bigger, older, and wiser. He’s on the same page with his neighbors. It’s creating a storm to transform the weakness on the offensive line back into a strength.

“I feel like I finally have that confidence back where I know I can play. I know the coaches trust in me and believe in me. That’s the world, honestly.”