Jager Burton, left, expects to be a bigger contributor for UK’s offensive line this season. (Vicky Graff Photo)
He’s not a returning starter or a player mentioned prominently in conversations about Kentucky’s upcoming football season.
However, redshirt freshman offensive lineman Jager Burton could be an important part of UK’s Big Blue Wall and success rate once the season starts. The 6-4, 280-pound Burton played in four games last season, including the final two against Louisville and then Iowa in the Citrus Bowl.
He was a four-star recruit and rated the No. 66 national prospect by 247Sports and No. 200 by Rivals. He was named Paul Hornung Award winner as the state’s top player by the Louisville Quarterback Club, a rare honor for an offensive lineman.
Burton says he is “probably 50 to 100 times a better player” now than when he got to UK.
“You always think when you come out of high school that you are ready (to play in college),” Burton said. “You do not think you can get any better and that you are not going to change that much.”
“I got here with the COVID year and was going against much older guys. No matter how good you are or how ready you think you are to play, you need to be older to handle the physical stuff that you are going to see against older guys.”
Burton thought the years he had spent lifting weights and doing other work had him fully ready for SEC football. He was wrong but felt he made big gains during the spring under new offensive line coach Zach Yenser.
“In the spring you learn the plays and do whatever it takes to fit the system and then in fall camp you get into position battles,” Burton said. “I am so happy I am in the (offensive line) room I am in. There’s a lot of competition but that makes you better.”
“I think we are going to be a lot more rotation-oriented this year. That way you can feel confident that if you need a break, the next guy can come in and contribute because we have a lot of great players.”
