Early Enrollee Spotlight: Major Burns
One position you’re never going to see Kirby Smart take a year off from recruiting is defensive back.
That’s certainly been the case with Georgia’s Class of 2020. The Bulldogs currently have three talented prospects set to join the team.
Two, Jalen Kimber and Major Burns, are already on campus as early enrollees. The most touted of the group, five-star Kelee Ringo, will arrive with the rest of the incoming freshmen in May.
However, for today’s purposes, we’ll focus on the young men who are currently here, beginning with Burns, who hopes to carve out his niche with a strong debut this spring.
Major Burns
Hometown: Baton Rouge, La.
Height: 6-2
Weight: 175
Class: Freshman
2020 Rivals Ranking: Rated as a four-star in the final player rankings.
High school highlights
Selecting the prospect to play in the Under Armour All-American Game, Rivals ranked Burns as the nation’s 238th overall prospect and 10th-best prospect from the state of Louisiana, after helping to lead Madison Prep to a 12-2 record last fall.
A two-way player who excelled on both sides of the ball, Burns played defensive back, wide receiver, and quarterback for Madison.
As a junior, Burns made 47 tackles with eight pass breakups, while catching five touchdowns as a wide receiver
Did you know?
Initially an LSU commitment, Burns is originally from Atlanta, where he played as a freshman with current Bulldogs William Poole and Christopher Smith. He later transferred to IMG, where he played a season with Nolan Smith. Burns plays in memory of his father, Tony, who passed away suddenly in July of 2018.
What to expect
Burns has the ability to play both cornerback and safety, and is expected to get looks at both positions with the Bulldogs.
According to Rivals analyst Sam Spiegleman, Burns worked exclusively with former NFL defensive back Ryan Clark in the offseason, improving his hip flexion and ability to anticipate what quarterbacks and wide receivers will do. Burns turned in a monstrous spring, showing that he was able to cover one-on-one well. His length was a major asset in that department. He has long arms to rattle opposing wideouts at the line of scrimmage and jam them off their routes. They also come into play in coverage as he's able to track the ball and swat down passes in his vicinity.
He's considered a candidate to play safety at the next level, largely because he's a physical defender.
The biggest obstacle for Burns is staying mentally tough. Defensive backs are going to lose some one-on-one battles. It's inevitable. Burns can sometimes fall into a bad head space, which makes him vulnerable. But at his best, he's a true cover corner who thrives in man-to-man coverage, battling for 50-50 balls and contributing in the run game.