Texas WR John Burt named the 15th-fastest player in CFB

Despite a lack of success on the football field in recent years, the Texas Longhorns never lack for speed, so it was no surprise to see senior wide receiver John Burt ranked among the fastest players in college football by NFL.com.

Burt came in at No 15 on the list of 18 players:

Burt makes his third consecutive appearance as one of our fastest players after running a personal-best 13.46 seconds in the 110-meter hurdles at the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Oregon, on June 6, qualifying him for NCAA Finals competition in the event. He finished first in the Big 12 Championships with a wind-aided 13.56 in May. He’s clocked a 6.94 time this year in the 60, and a 10.72 in the 100. On the field, Burt caught just 11 passes last year but unsurprisingly led UT receivers in yards per catch (16.1).

In the finals, Burt wasn’t able to match or exceed his time from the semifinals, ultimately finishing eighth in the field.

However, the bigger question is whether he’ll have an impact on the football field this fall. After a strong freshman season with 28 catches, Burt’s production has declined in each of the last two years, falling to 11 catches for 177 yards. A 90-yard catch and run against Oklahoma State accounted for most of that total.

As a sophomore, Burt began to struggle with his hands — his catch rate stood at only 50 percent that season. As a result, he began to fall out of the rotation and was only targeted half as often in 2017, though his catch rate did improve.

So there aren’t any particular expectations for Burt heading into his last season of college football after making one catch for 20 yards in the Orange-White game. However, that wasn’t exactly his fault, as Shane Buechele twice missed him running wide open down the field for what would have been long touchdowns.

The speed is still there. If it can show up on the field and Burt can haul in some passes for big plays, it would be a major bonus for the Longhorns offense.