91 days until Texas Football: Ethan Burke leads the way at Buck
Inside Texas is putting a new twist on long-time photographer Will Gallagher’s countdown to Texas football kickoff. In addition to Will’s great pictures, the Inside Texas staff will go through every player on the roster by jersey number and offer a season outlook for each, from five-star to walk-on.
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We’ll also look back at other greats to wear that day’s number, with special reverence to some of Texas’ best.
Today is 91 days until kickoff. No. 91 will be worn in 2023 by Ethan Burke, a sophomore EDGE.
Ethan Burke season outlook
Michigan’s loss was Texas’ gain. Just before most of the 2022 class put pen to paper on the first national signing day in 2021, Burke decided to stay close to home and play for the Longhorns as opposed to venturing to Michigan, despite the Wolverines providing an excellent example at his position in Aiden Hutchinson.
Burke played plenty in 2022, but most of the action came on special teams. After Ovie Oghoufo elected to transfer to LSU, Burke became involved in a heated battle for playing time at Buck during the spring. He competed with Justice Finkley, Kristopher Ross, and J’Mond Tapp but rose to the top because he combined pass-rush acumen with the requisite ability to stop the run.
That battle at Buck is likely to continue into preseason camp. There’s also fluidity at the position, as several Bucks could play Jack and several Jacks could play Buck (Barryn Sorrell is a Jack through and through). Burke heads into the summer as the No. 1 man at the Buck position on a depth chart written in pencil, but could write it in pen in the coming months and years once he matures physically.
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Burke played in 11 games as a freshman last year, recording six tackles (five of them solo) and a tackle for a loss.
Ethan Burke as a recruit
Burke was ranked as the No. 339 overall prospect, the No. 32 EDGE, and the No. 51 prospect in the state of Texas according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a proprietary algorithm that compiles ratings and rankings from all four primary recruiting media services.
Notable No. 91: Kheeston Randall
Randall finished his career having seen action in 47 games, including 35 starts and posted 98 tackles (49 solo), four sacks, 21 TFL, 25 pressures, six PBU, one forced fumble and two blocked kicks for his career. He was a first team All-Big 12 selection in 2011 by the Houston Chronicle and the San Antonio Express News and second team by the Big 12’s Coaches, AP, Kansas City Star and the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
In 2011 Randall was named to watch lists for the 2011 Nagurski Trophy, Outland Trophy and Lombardi Award.
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All-Americans to wear No. 91
None
Joe Cook contributed to this article
