Ethan Burke spent training camp 'getting grimy,' and it may pay off in the form of a starting role
One of the main unknowns for Steve Sarkisian‘s team entering training camp was who would take over for Ovie Oghoufo as the starter at the weakside EDGE position, or Buck, in Pete Kwiatkowski‘s defense. Throughout the month of August, sophomore Ethan Burke has put together a preseason to where he’s the prime candidate to replace Oghoufo after his departure for LSU.
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Burke, a 6-foot-6, 257-pounder from nearby Austin (Texas) Westlake, played in 11 games as a freshman last year. Most of his opportunities were on special teams, with 121 of his 174 snaps coming in the third phase according to Pro Football Focus. In his opportunities, he recorded six tackles including 1.5 for loss, with 1.0 of those TFLs coming in the 49-0 drubbing of Oklahoma in the Red River Shootout.
Burke entered the camp competing primarily versus fellow sophomore Justice Finkley, with Kristopher Ross and a number of members of the class of 2023 factoring in as well.
Thought to be a better pass-rusher than run-stuffer, Burke worked to make his game more complete in the spring and summer. Last Saturday, Sarkisian said the work of Burke was on display in Texas’ recent scrimmage and that he considers both EDGE spots solidified ahead of the season with Burke, Finkley, and the strongside’s Barryn Sorrell.
What has made Burke into a strong candidate to start in his second year?
“He’s a blue collar guy,” Sarkisian said Monday. “I think he has great length. At the end of the day, the guy is a mechanic. He goes to work. He rolls his sleeves up. He doesn’t mind getting grimy. He’s always going to try to find an edge somewhere, and he’s got good wits about him. He knows how to play the game.”
Sarkisian credited another year in Kwiatkowski’s system as part of the reason behind Burke’s development, as well as the sophomore’s mentality and attitude on the field.
But a 6-foot-6 frame that originally caught the eye of the Michigan Wolverines, who Texas flipped Burke from late in the 2023 cycle, has proven to be one of Burke’s best assets.
“He’s a very long player who just knows how to use his body,” offensive tackle Kelvin Banks said August 8.
Burke, who also played lacrosse in high school and whose social media page is littered with reposts of lax highlights, is on a similar career path as the aforementioned Sorrell. After seeing just 93 total snaps in 2021, Sorrell surged into the starting spot at Jack during the 2022 preseason. Sorrell has used his experience to help Burke make the projected bookends of the defensive line better.
“Ethan Burke has been a guy who’s been right there with me,” Sorrell said August 4. “He knows what it’s like to be counted out as well. I feel like we share that. We both know we need to rush the passer. Just critiquing him and him asking me a lot of questions about last year, and me being able to share my knowledge with him, has been very beneficial.”
Said T’Vondre Sweat on Wednesday, “I think he’s just finally getting the opportunity to show his skill set. Now he’s showing it and people are seeing that Ethan Burke is going to be a good EDGE for us.”
Finkley will see his fair share of snaps, and might be the pick to see a higher snap count for Kwiatkowski when Texas faces more run-heavy teams. But for the most part, Burke is primed to take the first snaps when the Longhorn defense trots on the field, and he’ll bring something with him that has helped him reach his current standing.
“He definitely has a toughness and griminess about him that we appreciate,” Sarkisian said.
