Denzel Burke is three years removed from being a recruit.
Yet, he has a decision date approaching in two weeks that just might result in another commitment to Ohio State.
The 6-foot-1, 190-pound junior defensive back will publicly announce his decision to either stay at OSU for another season or declare for the NFL Draft on Jan. 10. Burke said Tuesday that his decision date, which is five days before the official deadline for underclassmen to declare for the draft, has no real significance to him other than it being the day he and his family chose.
While the decision is more than two weeks away, his choice won't be made at the 11th hour. Burke said Tuesday he's already made up his mind, but will wait 15 days to announce it publicly.
One decision Burke has already made and announced is that he will play in the Cotton Bowl against Missouri on Friday.
“To finish the season with my brothers,” Burke said Tuesday when asked why he wanted to play in the game. “It’s an extra game on tape for scouts. Just finish the year off strong and have momentum going into next year’s team.”
Multiple factors are going into Burke’s decision. The Arizona native said he wants to be “a top-10 pick” and is aware there’s a big difference in earnings potential in that slot compared to being a late first-round selection or a Day Two pick, which is the range where he is forecasted to be picked in most NFL mock drafts.
Burke has been a three-year starter for Ohio State, including as a true freshman in 2021. Despite that, he’s yet to defeat Michigan and earn a pair of Gold Pants. Or win a College Football Playoff game. There are plenty of team goals still on the table that Burke has his eyes set on.
“That’s a big thing,” Burke said when asked if not beating Michigan has factored into his decision. “Especially for me, man. I want to be a top-10 pick. But not only that, I want to have something to show for it down the road. To be able to show my kids and my family when I was at Ohio State, we won something. That’s playing a big factor for me. When the time comes, y’all will know.”
Burke has started 10 games for Ohio State this season, recording 19 tackles (two for loss) with a forced fumble, an interception and eight pass breakups. He’s received a favorable grade from Pro Football Focus, earning an overall grade of 79.1 this season while excelling in pass coverage with a grade of 81.3. Nonetheless, Friday is a chance for Burke to make a statement.
Missouri boasts one of the nation’s top receivers and a five-star recruit from the 2022 class in Luther Burden III. Burden has caught 83 passes for 1,197 yards and eight touchdowns in a prolific Missouri offense that averaged 34.1 points per game this season.
Burke showered Burden with praise Tuesday, calling him the best wide receiver he’ll face this year. While Burden primarily lines up in the slot, Burke promised fans will “definitely” see some matchups between him and Missouri’s star wideout.
“He’s a really good football player, man,” Burke said of Burden. “He makes good contested catches and can run after. I can just tell when you watch him that he loves football.”
Regardless of whether Burke returns to Columbus for his senior season or begins his professional career, he knows a strong performance against Burden can boost his draft stock. It’s one of the main reasons he’s looking forward to playing in Friday’s game.
“I want to go out there and compete,” Burke said. “I want to be able to show I can guard any receiver in any conference and even go out there and get my hand on some balls. More touching the ball leads to more interceptions and more money. So my job is to just go out there and just have fun. Trust my stuff and trust my technique.”
Only one draft-eligible player with remaining eligibility at Ohio State, linebacker Cody Simon, has publicly announced he will return for another season in Columbus. Defensive end Jack Sawyer didn’t fully confirm he’ll be back for another year, but acknowledged Tuesday he’ll “more than likely” return in 2024. Based on the way Jim Knowles and Ryan Day have talked the past few weeks, the Buckeyes could be expecting more good news from draft-eligible defensive players with decisions looming over the next few weeks, including J.T. Tuimoloau, Ty Hamilton, Jordan Hancock, Lathan Ransom and of course, Burke.
If most of that group comes back, Burke will expect big things from a defense that finished as the nation’s No. 2 scoring defense in this year’s regular season.
“We’ll be the No. 1 defense coming into next year,” Burke said. “There’s a lot of guys that have played a lot of ball. Honestly, it would look scary.”
