Five-star Jordan Burch ‘very bright, very competitive’ in summer work, Muschamp says
When South Carolina football assembled for spring practice this March, five-star recruit Jordan Burch wasn’t with the Gamecocks as he finished up his high school career.
Most of the time that would mean Burch, the hometown blue-chip defensive line prospect from Hammond, would be a little behind his fellow freshmen in terms of understanding coach Will Muschamp’s schemes and concepts. But 2020 has been anything but normal.
First, the global coronavirus pandemic forced the cancellation of spring ball after just five practices for USC. Then required workouts started in mid-July, with “enhanced summer access” that included meetings, film sessions and walk-throughs. Finally, the start of preseason camp was pushed back along with the start of the season, allowing for several more weeks of strength and conditioning and meetings.
All of it has added up to a freshman class, Burch included, who are far more familiar with how the Gamecocks operate than a typical rookie bunch, Muschamp said Monday as players officially reported for the start of training camp.
“We’re a lot further along, especially for young players, because of the opportunities we’ve had since July 13 to spend time with our players and be teaching our players basic defenses that we’re doing, fundamentals and techniques,” Muschamp said. “We’re a lot further along than we ever had been.”
The youngsters’ progress is so far advanced, Muschamp said, he’s actually adjusted his schedule to speed up the installation of his defense during camp.
For Burch in particular, the extended training time over the summer has been a boon. As South Carolina’s highest-rated recruit since Jadeveon Clowney, he’ll enter this season with plenty of expectations from fans. How quickly he’ll be able to contribute remains to be seen, but Muschamp offered a positive review of his early performance.
“He’s been very bright, he catches on extremely well,” Muschamp said. “Very competitive in the weight room, very competitive in the meeting room, very competitive when we were in the walk-through situation. (Outside linebackers/Bucks coach) Mike Peterson has been really pleased with him and how he retains information day to day.”
Muschamp has previously said Burch will begin his college career getting work at the Buck position, a mix of linebacker and defensive end. On Monday, he indicated that Burch will work there but may get chances in some other looks, too.
“We’ll move him around. And again, we need to get to our best rushers in a rabbits package and he’s certainly a guy that’s exhibited some ability to possibly do that,” Muschamp said.
A “rabbits package” historically has meant four defensive ends on the field in hopes of rushing the passer and creating more sacks. Muschamp’s staff hasn’t always only used ends, and Burch’s name has been talked about at the defensive tackle position, but one of the main reasons he was a top-10 recruit in his class was his freakish athleticism and how he can use it to get to the quarterback and provide some versatility.
This story was originally published August 19, 2020 at 11:45 AM.
