Dontae Wright believes that Aubrey Burks can go as far as he wants in the game of football.
The junior safety is coming off a season where he started 11-games for the Mountaineers and finished second on the team with 66 tackles, one sack and an interception.
But his game has taken an even more significant step forward over the past few months with his overall dedication and preparation the centerpieces to his development.
Burks has been a leader on the defense by recording seven interceptions in fall camp and gotten his hands to break up a half dozen more which have led to picks for his teammates.
“If he wants to continue to do that, he’s got to prepare like he has been,” Wright said.
That preparation can best be encapsulated by the fact that Burks has met with Wright one-on-one every other day throughout fall camp at 6 a.m. That’s every other day regardless if there is an off-day, practice or any other obligation that Burks might have. And the reasoning is simple.
Burks is not only trying to figure out his job on the field but understand how all of the other pieces in the defense work so he can learn the assignments and be an extension of the coaching staff.
It's something he made a point on doing in the off-season after watching players like Bryce Ford-Wheaton change their mindset and approach last year.
"Last year at times I was out there floating around sometimes I was doing my own thing and now just diving into it and changing my mindset how i want to learn the game of football," he said.
That extra work has allowed him to play faster and with Burks not worrying about what he has to do he can focus on what the offense is telling him each snap.
“He’s able to see those things and narrow this thing down and react and answer off that,” Wright said. “If he’s wrong, he’s got an answer to fix it.”
While Burks certainly has the ability to play at a high level, his instincts and understanding are what has truly separated him and allowed him to play much faster. It’s a professional level approach to the position and one that Wright has seen trickle down to others in the back end.
Anthony Wilson, a transfer from Georgia Southern, doesn’t hesitate when it comes to the player that he looks to in order to help him if he has any questions. And that trickles down to give the defense more confidence with a player that has that type of understanding on what needs to be done.
“Being here for three years already and going off what he did last year I know I can go to him if I have a question,” Wilson said.
Again, it goes back to preparation for Burks and if that continues there could be a bright future for him in the game of football down the line.
“He’s the first person in the building and last one to leave. He is preparing himself to be a professional right now,” Wright said.
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