Reynold Burton was interested in LSU and Clemson, but his heart and his family were not going to allow him to go far from home in Warren, Arkansas. He committed to Arkansas as a junior in high school and only took one of his allotted official visits to Arkansas so he could sleep in his own bed.
It wasn't known how close to home he was considering staying. Bo Hembree, his high school coach, said last month that it wouldn't have shocked him if he went to a Division II school.
The book is an open book.
He said that he had always liked it because it was close to home. My friends went there. There were times when I was thinking about it.
He said that it was always a thought that he could go there.
People would have reacted to a top four that included three recognizable Power 5 programs. It is not possible that a top 100 player would give a school from the Great American Conference time of day. "I don't care what people think", as Burks put it.
That was the first glimpse into a mindset unusual for a prospect on the verge of being selected in the first round of the NFL draft. In yards after catch, Burks is third in the nation. He has nine catches of at least 48 yards, which is tied for the most in the Power 5. Arkansas coach Sam Pittman said he was struck by how mild-mannered and confident he is.
"Quiet, but can catch anything close to him."
Although he plays a position synonymous with larger-than-life personalities, Burks is devoid of flash. He played sports year-round. He would sit on the front porch with his great-grandfather waiting for the storm to pass. Grandpa Joe, who fought in the Vietnam War and worked for the Warren School District for 30 years, instilled in him the belief that he was no bigger than any other man.
Over the course of 24 years at Warren High, Hembree has coached his fair share of FBS prospects, including pros such as Jarius Wright and Chris Gragg, and he and Burks stand out for their approach.
He was the second freshman to start for Hembree, and he did it all. He scored five touchdown in four different ways as a junior, twice as a quarterback, once as a punt returner and once as a receiver.
Hembree said that he wasn't a stats guy. If they were up by two or three scores, he would put his backup in the game. He would burn a defensive back in practice and instead of taunting, he would circle back and walk the defensive back through what he had done wrong.
Hembree said that he is a team-promoter and will make him a great pro.
The path not taken by Ouachita Baptist is what Burks sees.
He said that if he has the talent to make it to the NFL, it doesn't matter where he goes. They will find me. That is just a mentality that I have always had.
It is hard to avoid similarities to another prep star who grew up in the South as a multisport athlete. According to his high school baseball coach, Bo Jackson was Warren's version of Burks.
Baseball was his first love and he picked it up at a young age. He had a cannon for a right arm and could fly around the basepaths. He was able to throw in the 80s by the time he got to Warren High. He bent his metal bat when he hit a foul ball.
He could cover the foul pole to the foul pole as a center fielder. The problem? He didn't know what the warning track was.
One game, when Burks was shaded to left-center, a ball was hit deep to right-center.
He catches it on the run and then the fence catches him about a half step after he catches it.
The fence was chainlink and the pole was concrete. The fence fell with him when he fell.
As the fence sagged back into place, Milum ran out to check on Burks, who had spit out something bright red. His mouth was cut to shreds after he got braces. After getting through bloody teeth, Burks showed Milum the ball in his glove and said, "I'm good."
He was very tough.
Some of the coaches told him they thought he had MLB potential. He wondered what would have happened if he only committed to baseball.
You can say that about him in any sport. He had God-given ability.
He was among the fastest players on the team and his basketball coach called him a man amongst boys.
He was the most dangerous player on the team, according to Muldrew.
Even though he was undersized at 6-foot-2 he was a stretch power forward who could shoot the 3 and handle the ball in transition. He was the most effective in the paint. It was normal for him to block a shot, run the court and dunk.
If we made it, that was good, but if we didn't, there was a chance that Treylon would get the rebound and put it back in.
I think he averaged about 15 or 16 boards a game. He was the leader.
That was one of the things that caught the attention of Arkansas.
During the spring evaluation period, Barry Lunney came to Warren to see if Hembree had any up-and-coming prospects. Hembree told Lunney to follow him to the gym. He needed to see the eighth-grader.
Lunney estimated that Burks had 30 rebound. It was impressive to have that size and power. Lunney said that he was easy to pick out.
Lunney was able to get his hands on the tape from the freshman season of the Warren football team. It was the same size, power, and speed that he saw on the basketball court, but now he got to see how smart and physical he is as a safety, as well as his ability to step into the box and make a tackle.
Lunney said that he was the total package.
The only thing holding him back from the recruitment process was an unofficial policy of the head coach. If you took a flyer on someone out of state and pulled it back later, there would be little consequence. You run the risk of losing the support of local high school coaches if you flip-flops in your own backyard.
Lunney remembers bringing up Burks, but he didn't like the response from Bielema.
Lunney told the coach that he was just telling him if he didn't know he was a freshman.
Lunney made a pitch to be the first Power 5 school to offer a scholarship, and to enjoy the upper hand when other schools catch up.
Every SEC program heard about the dynamic receiver in Warren after the secret got out. Lunney was always present.
He said it was like a day on the calendar.
Lunney traded messages on social media with many of the players he recruits. Lunney and Burks swapped photos of fish they caught, instead of feeding his ego with the typical promises of playing time.
Hembree told Lunney that the kid was different.
He didn't play video games or sit on the TV. Chances are there were fishing poles in the back of his truck when he drove away from practice.
Hembree told Lunney that he would rather be in the woods than anywhere else.
There was something special about him long before he got to high school, and he was on the radar of the nation's top colleges.
For a place so small, Warren High has a reputation for producing a high number of FBS prospects. The 2008 class was loaded with four players who were all headed to Arkansas, including future NFL receiver Greg Childs.
Hembree was distracted by the water boy during the warm ups. He thought the Burks kid was big for a third graders.
Hembree watched as he watched the kickers. Most kids that age struggled to catch a soft spiral, but Burks was nabbing booming, end-over-end kicks. He was not using his chest to cradle the ball. He was catching them with his hands.
Hembree remembers an opposing coach asking who the kid was.
Every Friday night, he was there. He knew who Childs and the other stars on the team were, but he wasn't in awe of them.
Everyone in Warren pays attention, and it was no secret that Burks was growing into a special athlete. He could not play quarterback or running back in Pee Wee football because he was so big and fast. They had to throw the ball to him beyond the line of scrimmage if they wanted to get him the ball.
Hembree said there were no rules in high school. He would play quarterback, receiver, rush end and safety. He was also the kicker.
The rule for Hembree was created by Burks, rather than the other way around.
He broke his hand and had a cast on his elbow, so the only time the coaches convinced him to stay on the sideline was when he broke his hand. He dressed in case. Hembree relented when one of the starting receivers was injured and allowed Burks to decoy. He warned him that they were not going to throw the football.
Who was he talking about?
Hembree said that he ended up having 12 catches for 282 yards and three touchdown.
As he recalled that game, he laughed and said he was an assistant on the football team.
He said anything thrown at him, you don't give up on.
The hands grew to 10.25 inches and caught everything in their vicinity. He had to wear a new pair of receiver gloves every week in high school. He used a softball mitt in baseball because it was the only thing large enough that fit.
When he got to Arkansas, he planned to play both football and baseball, but he tore his knee as a senior and decided to focus solely on football. He was ready for the preseason camp after he had rehabilitated. After getting his feet wet as a freshman, he emerged as one of the top receivers in college football.
His size and ability to play multiple positions conjured memories of two SEC stars who are now among the best in the NFL. In the past two years, Burks has ranked in the top 10 in receiving yards and receiving touchdown. He dropped seven passes, but was targeted 158 times.
He ran a 40 yard dash in 4.50 seconds at the combine, but his game speed is even better. Ask Alabama's secondary. In a close loss to Tuscaloosa, Arkansas wide receiver Alec Burks caught eight passes for 179 yards and two touchdown, and he was the go-to target.
One of the players who always catches up to his target and never allows himself to get caught is Burks.
He said that you have special people that seem to be faster than everyone else.
Pittman had to come up with a way to describe Burks as smart, articulate, and someone who cares about his teammates. The word he kept coming back to was country.
He hunts with his dogs and the whole nine yards.
Correct, you read that correctly. Burks is more than just a fish. He does more than just hunt deer with a crossbow. He goes into the woods with his dogs and a knife to find a wild pig.
The dogs corner the hog. A dog is sent to hold the wild animal in place. They will turn the hog loose if it is too small. It is time to go in if it is large enough to feed them.
"We do not use guns," explained Burks.
He said that using a gun takes the fun out of it. Being out there with your friends and family and having a good time is just a thrill.
All of this sounds like it to Burks. The average wild pig is around 200 pounds. Their tusks are there for a reason.
Some people probably think I'm crazy, but that's just how I am.
He has hunted hogs since he was 9. He knows a few people who have been injured or had close calls, but he has been unaffected.
He said he was not scared of wild game like some people are. I have respect for them. I am in their habitat going out there.
During the run-up to the draft, many teams inquired about his hobby. He has assured them that he doesn't risk injury by saving hunting trips.
He recently had a meeting with the New York Giants and they asked him questions about hunting. He could see the eyes of the coaches and scouts light up as he took them through the process.
They were thrilled that someone did that. It was amazing to them.
The Green Bay Packers have the 28th pick in the draft and are projected to take Burks. He doesn't plan on going to Las Vegas.
He will be surrounded by family and friends in Hot Springs, Arkansas.
He says he will return to Warren when his professional career is over. He would love to follow in Hembree's footsteps and coach high school football, and use whatever money he makes in the NFL to build a ranch.
He can fish in his own backyard if it is on a lake.
He gets excited when he thinks about it.
He said there will be animals everywhere.
He said cows, horses, chickens, hogs, donkeys, and so on.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
