Bryce Burnett creates his own legacy on his way to playing DI football
WESTVILLE, Ill. — Guy Goodlove has been the head coach at Westville High School for 27 years, winning over 140 games at the helm for the Tigers.
He鈥檚 won state championships and played in a number of postseasons, but he had yet to coach a player that went on to play NCAA Division I football.
That was until offensive lineman Bryce Burnett came into Westville and helped quickly turn the program around from a winless team in his freshman year to a playoff favorite in his senior year.
鈥淲e started the rebuilding process with Bryce and his class,鈥� Goodlove said. 鈥淗e stayed the course, did everything we asked him to do and it paid off in the long run.鈥�
Burnett officially committed to Eastern Illinois on Dec. 15 for National Signing Day, becoming the first player during Goodlove鈥檚 Westville coaching tenure to commit to play football at a Division I school.
The 6-foot-4, 280-pound lineman got his first offer from the Panthers on June 5, 2021, and after an unofficial visit later in June, he verbally committed to Eastern Illinois on July 2.
鈥淭his has been my goal since I was five years old, and there鈥檚 nothing else I鈥檝e ever wanted to accomplish more,鈥� Burnett in July 2021. 鈥淭his accomplishment has kind of shown if you put in the work and the effort and you really strive and strain for that goal that nothing is impossible.鈥�
Burnett, a future biochemistry major, felt right at home in Charleston as the school checked off all the boxes for him.
Not just that, but the football program itself was a perfect fit as everything from the coaching staff to the facilities was the place he wanted to set himself up at for the next four years.
The offer came after one of a number of camps he attended last summer, and it looked like an ideal match from the start.
鈥淭hey approached me after the camp and talked to me and my family and expressed how much work I had put in,鈥� Burnett . 鈥淗ow they found me very coachable and how I鈥檝e got a great set of skills to go to the next level.鈥�
Goodlove noticed this special level of talent in Burnett well before his high school days, coming through the ranks of local football in the Westville area.
Once he came up to the high school, he and his freshman teammates had quite the task on their hands to help build up the Tigers program with a lack of speed and upperclassman depth on the roster.
鈥淎 lot of those kids in Bryce鈥檚 class really got some quality playing time as freshman at the varsity level,鈥� Goodlove said. 鈥淭hey learned right away that if you want to be good at that level, you have to do the things you鈥檙e asked to by the coaches in order to be competitive by the time you鈥檙e juniors and seniors.鈥�
Quickly, Goodlove and his coaching staff saw just how much of a leader Burnett would become as 鈥渙ne of a few players that was the first in the weight room and one of the last to leave.鈥�
He helped set the example for others and continuously got better and better over his high school career.
That includes expanding his versatility as a player, playing multiple positions on the offensive line and even getting time as a defensive lineman.
鈥淗e knows what everybody鈥檚 job is on the field,鈥� Goodlove said. 鈥淗e was the general of the offensive line. He was like having another coach on the field. When you put a kid that has his work ethic and intelligence together in one package, the sky鈥檚 the limit.鈥�
Now, after a successful senior season, Burnett will finish out his high school career and begin to prepare for FCS football at Eastern Illinois for this coming fall.
He鈥檚 left an indelible mark on Westville鈥檚 program, and while there will be some big shoes to fill in his place for the Tigers, more players will be following in his footsteps to create their own future legacies
鈥淏ryce has helped sustain the work ethic within the program,鈥� Goodlove said. 鈥淓very step of the way, all four years, he鈥檚 done it the right way. I鈥檓 very happy for him and I鈥檓 glad he鈥檚 getting this opportunity.鈥�
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