As far as offensive linemen go, 2015 Ohio State signee Matt Burrell is a jack-of-all-trades. Having played all five spots on the offensive line at some point throughout his high school career, one would be hard-pressed to argue.
Versatility is one of Burrell’s biggest strengths, it’s something he takes pride in. And as he prepares himself to officially become a Buckeye, he doesn’t really have a preference for where he gets put on the offensive line.
“Personally, I don’t care, as long as I get on the field. I wanna run through the tunnel and just experience that,” Burrell said recently. “If I gotta play center, hell if I’ve gotta kick, I’ll do it.”
Hailing from Woodbridge, Va. and C.D. Hylton High School, Burrell was a four-star recruit and the nation’s seventh-ranked guard. He chose Ohio State over Penn State, Florida State, Virginia Tech and Michigan, among others.
Once Burrell decided Ohio State was the place for him, though, the other schools didn’t stand much of a chance.
“I’ve been brought up where I’m loyal by default. If I’m with a team then I’m with a team,” he said. “Once I was a Buckeye I was going to stay a Buckeye and to be honest, I knew I wanted to be a Buckeye for a while.”
The recruiting process was long, as it usually is for highly-touted prospects, but Burrell soaked everything up and, eventually, fell in love with Ohio State.
“My family, we had a long process. We took it easy and we had a real — you know, we wrote it on the board and did what we had to do,” Burrell said. “Finally, after a while, we came to a point where I knew what I wanted.”
What Burrell wanted was to play for Ohio State and play for Buckeyes’ offensive line coach Ed Warinner. He wanted to learn from one of the top offensive lines in the country, one which features four returning starters in Taylor Decker, Jacoby Boren, Pat Elflein and Billy Price.
“I’m like a kid in a candy store,” Burrell said, smiling. “It’s like, you know, it’d be cool to drive behind Jeff Gordon to try and get some tips. It’s like one of those things where it’s going to up my game 10 times better.”
Burrell is one of six offensive linemen Ohio State signed in its 2015 recruiting class. It’s a position head coach Urban Meyer has been very vocal in criticizing recently for its depth, or lack thereof.
Burrell’s hope is to come in, compete and try and solidify himself as a guy the Buckeyes can count on up front. His ability to play everywhere on the line is something that should only help.
“I’m versatile, I’m athletic and I’ve gotten stronger,” Burrell said. “I’m just gonna come in with an open mind, ready to lose, ready to win and just ready to get better.”
