Maryland football starts its season in 68 days. Until then, we’re profiling every single player on the roster.
Tyler Burke, linebacker
Height: 6'3
Weight: 245 pounds
Year: Sophomore
High school: Coatesville High School (Coatesville, Pa.)
How Burke got to College Park
He was rated the No. 50 weak-side defensive end and the No. 33 player in Pennsylvania in the class of 2014 on the 247Sports Composite. The three-star recruit chose Maryland from a group of offers that included Wisconsin, Rutgers, N.C. State and Syracuse. Burke played defensive end, linebacker, tight end and fullback in high school. John Dunn and Keith Dudzinski were his primary recruiters, and Burke committed to Maryland in June of 2013.
Burke redshirted his first season on campus in 2014, but was a contributor at backup linebacker in 2015. He played in every game as a redshirt freshman, finishing with eight tackles and one forced fumble.
One career highlight
Forcing a fumble and racking up a tackle for loss against Penn State.
2016 prospectus
With Jermaine Carter Jr. manning the middle linebacker spot, there may not be a ton of opportunities for Burke. However, DJ Durkin has been adamant that the team isn’t set on any specific formation, and could use several on defense. Burke’s best opportunities for playing time on defense are as the second middle linebacker in a 3-4 or as Carter’s backup in a 4-3.
What a dream season might look like
Burke emerges as Carter’s backup/understudy, and becomes the team’s top backup linebacker. Carter still has eligibility remaining for 2017 though, so Burke’s chance to become a starter probably won’t come until then.
The next player in the series...
Our next subject is a 6’2, 310-pound offensive lineman who didn’t play last season.
Standings
Testudbro-5
PeachesTerp-5
apgibson24-3
jayman88-2
terpcommenter-2
jgoldy17-2
ezra2141-1
Mr. Papageorgeo-1
RedTurtle-1
Carolina-1
reborn579-1
PMatt-1
Scaletta- 1