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Pete Thamel, ESPN
Former Purdue wide receiver Deion Burks, one of the top players at his position in the NCAA transfer portal, told ESPN he has committed to transfer to Oklahoma.
Burks told ESPN that Oklahoma coach Brent Venables visited him this week near Purdue’s campus, and Burks said he’s headed to Norman this weekend to officially visit his new school.
Burks had a breakout redshirt sophomore season in 2023, earning second-team All-Big Ten honors from the coaches and earning his way onto the NFL draft radar. While he had NFL interest, he said that he felt like another season of physical and mental development would be the best move for him.
Burks finished this season with 629 receiving yards, 47 catches and seven touchdown catches, which included 152 yards and two touchdowns against Fresno State.
“I’m going to bet on myself, put myself in position to get developed mentally where I can be good at the next level,” he said. “Get another year of production. Being around greats and people who have a history of winning will help me take my talents to the next level.”
Burks mentioned that many schools reached out to him in the portal, but he spoke most to Ole Miss and Texas before deciding on Oklahoma. He mentioned the ability to finish college and get a degree as one of the reasons he chose an additional year of school over going to the NFL this year.
Burks said he came away impressed in his talks with the coaches at Oklahoma, as he said that Venables laid out a plan for him to succeed after football. He noted the history of offensive coordinator Seth Littrell, strength coach Jerry Schmidt and receivers coach Emmett Jones. He also mentioned the resources available at Oklahoma.
“They have a lot of resources and things that checked the box,” he said. “They were transparent, and I’m coming in with a plan, how to use me. Nothing is given. I have to come in and earn it, competitive-wise. They just checked all the boxes for me.”
Burks is a 5-foot-11, 195-pound receiver who flashed the ability to stretch the field with his straight-line vertical speed. He also impressed scouts with his shiftiness, as one NFL scout told ESPN that Purdue’s coaching staff noted he was among the best prospects on the roster. This was Burks’ first draft-eligible season, as he redshirted his true freshman season in 2021 and caught just 15 passes for 149 yards last year.
Burks is cut physically, which jumped out at scouts watching him this year. The Purdue strength staff raved about him as a worker, and scouts saw the ability on tape.
“When you watch the tape, he jumps off the tape athletically with speed and explosiveness,” said an NFL scout. “It would have been early for him to leave. The production wasn’t quite there. A full year at OU will serve him well. He could easily be a top 100 player next year.”
Burks will arrive at Oklahoma as the school transitions into the SEC. They’ll also be breaking in a new starting quarterback, with former ESPN No. 1 quarterback recruit Jackson Arnold set to take over.
Burks said he trusts that Arnold will be ready for the starting role and that he’s excited to play in the SEC.
“The SEC was one of my things,” he said. “I played in the Big Ten. The SEC is a challenge. How do you match up with these guys? That will eliminate a lot of questions in scouts’ heads. The SEC is definitely great competition, and it’s the conference that players want to play in.”
