The JACKs of all trades: what separates Ethan Burke and Colton Vasek from each other, and the pack
It might be easy to lump Ethan Burke and Colton Vasek together. In fact, it’s extremely easy.
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The duo not only commands the top two spots in the JACK room of edge rushers, they played together at Westlake High in Austin and are nearly identical in height and weight. They are literally next to each other on the Texas roster sheet, donning numbers 91 and 92.
It’s hard not to group them into one idea because they’re practically the same guy playing the same role. The JACK edge rusher is tasked with putting a hand in the ground and controlling the wide side of the field, setting a hard edge against the run while also having the chops to rush the passer. Not to mention the amount of positional versatility between base, nickel, and dime packages for Texas.
Despite all the similarities between the two, fellow edge rusher Colin Simmons claims that they operate in different ways.
“I would say Burke is very intelligent. He knows the game of football; he knows where he needs to be, when he needs to be there. He knows how to make plays,” Simmons said. “Colton, he’s physical. Very physical. Very dominant. Definitely brings the boom, the bang. At the end of the day, they both play great.”
These descriptions are fitting for the two: Burke, the savvy veteran, and Vasek, the explosive new kid on the block.
Burke has been either a starter or a heavily involved rotation player both his sophomore and junior years, recording 7.5 sacks and 20 TFLs in his time in Austin. He’s most known for his fourth-down stop against Texas A&M last season, one of the plays of the game in one of the games of the year for Texas. Burke now steps into a starting and leadership role in year four, a contract year for a now-veteran pass rusher.
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Vasek’s story has been a lot bumpier, suffering a back injury that kept him redshirted in 2023 before playing all of 2024 with a shoulder brace. As a result, the talented recruit is a year behind expectations, meaning that entering year three, he’s set to make a big jump.
Now healthy, Vasek is seen as one of the most explosive pass rushers on this team. He likely will bring more value than Burke on passing downs, yet still has the physicality to impose on the opposing run game.
With Simmons taking the reins opposite the two, whichever JACK rusher is in the game will have the opportunity to make plays. The defense is going to have to chip, double-team, and play nasty with Simmons in hopes of alleviating his impact, opening up the Westlake boys to wreak havoc in one-on-one matchups.
It’s a contract year for Burke and a prove-it year for Vasek. With that idea in mind, expect a major step forward for the two Austinites playing for their hometown Horns to make a big jump.
