UCLA offensive tackle Jake Burton is transferring to Baylor, but he would have shined in a Syracuse football uniform.
It’s no secret that the Syracuse football offensive line mightily struggled in 2019, and while it could certainly improve in the upcoming campaign, UCLA transfer Jake Burton could have provided some additional depth on the O-Line.
Burton is a two-year starter and redshirt senior right tackle for the Bruins, according to his 2019 bio on the UCLA athletics department Web site.
Because the Bruins will not suit up this fall, the result of a decision by the Pac-12 Conference to postpone football until next spring, Burton entered into the NCAA transfer portal and then quickly decided to head to Baylor out of the Big 12 Conference, according to his Twitter page.
Per a tweet by Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times, the UCLA beat writer for the media outlet, Burton was potentially targeting Atlantic Coast Conference and Southeastern Conference teams “in hopes of playing this fall.” By extension, the Orange attempting to make a run at him would have appeared a logical move.
The ACC, the SEC and the Big 12, for now, are moving forward with football this fall, while the other two Power Five leagues, the Big Ten Conference and the aforementioned Pac-12, are focused on a spring stanza at this juncture.
UCLA offensive tackle Jake Burton, who was reportedly eyeing an ACC or SEC school, could have found a terrific home with Syracuse football.
Once Burton went into the transfer portal, I didn’t see any immediate chatter about specific squads in the ACC or other leagues that Burton may have had an interest in, however, I had hoped that ‘Cuse coaches would gauge his potential interest in suiting up on the Hill.
His 2019 bio on the UCLA athletics department Web site listed him as a 6-foot-6, 312-pound redshirt junior who attended Granite Hills High School in El Cajon, Calif.
As the Bruins starter at right tackle for all 12 contests in 2019, Burton helped block for running back Joshua Kelley, who last year “became the eighth running back in UCLA history to record back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing seasons,” per Burton’s bio.
Also noteworthy is that the Bruins offensive line contributed to UCLA in 2019 rushing for at least 200 yards in five-consecutive affairs for the inaugural instance dating back to 1978.
Coming out of high school as a defensive end and a member of the 2016 recruiting class, the 247Sports Composite rated Burton as a three-star prospect and the No. 79 player in the state of California in this recruiting cycle.
While at Granite Hills High School, he also lettered in basketball, track and volleyball, so clearly Burton is a gifted athlete. It’s a shame that Syracuse football couldn’t, or didn’t, get on his radar screen, as he would have amounted to a wonderful addition on the offensive line. Still, Baylor is a tremendous Big 12 team, and we’re wishing Burton all the success in the world!