His offers include Clemson, Georgia Tech, Florida State, LSU, and Tennessee, according to Rivals, which has yet to rank him. ESPN rates four-star Burton as the nation’s 22nd-best defensive end. Burton’s end-linebacker combination meshes perfectly with the OLB role in Diaco’s 3-4 scheme. Various sites list Burton anywhere from 6-3, 225, to 6-4, 235. According to his Scout profile, Burton carries a 3.8 core grade-point-average and plans to enroll early in January, 2011.
Burton spoke glowingly of ND throughout the ISD interview:
“I’m so honored to even have the opportunity, and I’m definitely ready to help bring Notre Dame nation to where it should be. I want to be part of the revival of the program.”In my estimation of his ESPN highlight film, Burton is a natural pass rusher, especially when taking uber-wide splits from his high school DE spot. One worry from the ESPN film is Burton's failure to close out the pursuit with sacks, but his Rivals highlight reel better captures the 12 sacks he totaled last season. Just as his biggest asset is pressuring the quarterback and forcing him out of the pocket, the most glaring weakness is his inability to get into the backfield against the run. Nonetheless, Burton’s athleticism and style are in the mold of ND junior hybrid Darius Fleming. Burton is a big commit at a position that will suddenly become a need after Brian Smith, Kerry Neal, Darius Fleming, and Steve Filer all graduate. Burton means that the Irish cupboard is restocking before it had a chance to be bare. Expect Burton to contribute to the ND defense by 2012.
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