The Cardinal Countdown: 36 Days Until Kickoff

#36 Maurice Burkley

Class: RS Senior

Ht/Wt: 6-0/209

Position: Running Back

Hometown: Naperville, IL

Twitter: @ball_is_life1_

Thoughts: Heading into last season there was little doubt that Javian Hawkins had separated himself from the pack and was going to be RB1 heading into the season, but there was some uncertainty about if his backup would be by committee or if someone would separate themselves from the pack. While Jalen Mitchell and Hassan Hall got a good amount of reps I liked what we saw from Burkley when he got a few opportunities here and there, and evidently so did the coaches.

Burkley saw a few more caries as the year went on against Florida State and Virginia Tech and after Hawkins opted out Burkley was named the starter against Virginia and then Syracuse. In those four games Burkley went for 185yds and a touch on only 32 carries (5.78yd/att) before suffering a lower body injury that forced him to miss the final game of the year. In those contests Burkley ran hard and impressed me with his athleticism and aggressiveness. On his touch he not only finds space but sheds a tackle as well.

I was assuming we saw the last of the fifth year senior after he was ruled out but news broke not long after the season that Burkley was gonna run it back with that free year and join a RB group that I think is going to surprise some folks in the ACC this year. While I still think Mitchell and Hall are your 1-2 combo Burkley brings a great mix in running style and will likely be a contributor on special teams once again as well. Glad to have him back in the fold for 2021.

Sweet Tweet:

This tweet made the rounds for awhile but Burkley retweeted it recently and it caught my eye again. Looks easy to me. I’mma ask Mrs. CardinalStrong to hold my feet real quick and see what happens. I’ll report back………

…….I’m back. Looking at a solid 2-3 weeks recovery, folks.