A recurring series where we will profile every player on Maryland's roster, counting down to kick-off against William & Mary on September 1. Thanks to OBNUG for the idea.
Today we profile a converted quarterback.
Devin Burns, Sophomore (RS), Wide Receiver, #2
via grfx.cstv.com
Stats:
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 200
Major: American Studies
Twitter: @Dev_TheDeuce
Collegiate Stats: One catch for 17 yards
High School Stats (Senior Year): 1,795 passing yards, 541 rushing yards, 21 total touchdowns
Recruiting Ratings: Three stars by Rivals, Scout (#56 WR), ESPN (#75 ATH)
High School: Carver
Hometown: Columbus, Ga.
High School Highlights:
How'd He Get to College Park?
In terms of rankings by recruiting agencies, Devin Burns was about in the middle of the pack of Maryland’s 2010 recruiting class. Even at his own position, he was overshadowed by Tyler Smith, who ended up transferring to Elon. But when former coach Ralph Friedgen spoke about Burns on signing day last year, you could see his face light up at the prospect of coaching this young kid.
There was a bit of an issue in his recruitment – Burns was originally going to commit to Georgia. However, the day he was intending to commit to the Bulldogs, he found out his scholarship offer had been rescinded. He then committed to the Terps, and this so harmed the relationship between the Georgia staff and Carver (Carver’s head coach said he would never send another kid to Georgia) that they re-offered Burns later in the process. The quarterback stayed true to his commitment to the Terps.
Burns comes from a military family, and Maryland marks the seventh different state he has lived in. He was named honorable mention all-league after his senior year, and chose the Terps over offers from Arkansas and others. He was recruited to Maryland by offensive line coach and Georgia recruiting specialist Tom Brattan.
Burns enrolled early at Maryland in 2010, getting a leg-up on Smith in the true freshman quarterback competition. He almost got a chance to play, too, as C.J. Brown, Danny O’Brien and Jamarr Robinson all suffered from various injuries. Luckily, Burns didn’t have to burn his redshirt. He switched positions to wide receiver during last spring (the position he played as a sophomore in Texas), and played in seven games last season, making only one catch - a 17-yarder against West Virginia.
Nickname:
Devin "The Dude" Burns
Career Highlight:
Catching that one pass against West Virginia.
Career Lowlight:
That was his only catch of the season.
Dream Season:
Burns catches at least ten passes this season.
Nightmare Season:
His output stays at a similar level to last year's.
2012 Prospectus:
Devin Burns is the backup at the "X" wide receiver position, behind Kevin Dorsey and in front of Amba Etta-Tawo. That's generally the feature wideout position, and it's hard to imagine Burns staying there as Dorsey's immediate back-up.
Instead, expect a position swap with Stefon Diggs, who is currently at what looks like the slot position. Burns has lined up at slot in the past, and the hope is that Diggs will become Maryland's number one receiver, and soon.
Devin Burns should play - Maryland doesn't have too much depth at wide receiver and the coaches really like him - but don't expect too much out of him this year. Most likely, he catches a few passes, waits for Boykins to graduate, and spends the next two years as the starting slot receiver. That's more than fine with us.
Up Next:
Our next player's last name is a homophone for a stage clamp.
Terpsonfire has tied it up.
Standings:
Maryland1206 - 9
Terpsonfire - 9
kbuts151 - 6
Dirty_Terps - 5
bubbasparks - 4
ClickClack62 - 3
Terpsfinish - 2
T Free - 1
Mdak06 - 1
clevesanterp - 1
CSB Jack - 1
curterp - 1
fballplyr92 - 1
Everybody else - 0