Myles Burkett鈥檚 dedication carries him from Franklin to Camp Randall
FRANKLIN, Wis. — Myles Burkett has had a storied career at Franklin High School. Under Burkett鈥檚 leadership, Franklin won a 2021 state championship, while Burkett won the Dave Krieg Award as the most outstanding senior quarterback in Wisconsin and was named the Gatorade Player of the Year for the state. Now, the quarterback is headed to the University of Wisconsin, where he hopes to be a star for his home-state Badgers. It鈥檚 a dream a long time in the making for Burkett.
鈥淲hen (Wisconsin) offered me, there was that 鈥榳ow鈥� factor and the shock of receiving an offer from your dream school,鈥� Burkett after officially signing in December 2021. 鈥淚 had no hesitation and I let Coach Chryst know that I was 100% in and that I wanted to be a Badger.鈥�
Burkett is commonly referred to as a dual threat quarterback, possessing the equal ability to both throw and run the ball effectively. Burkett tends to see himself as purely a playmaker at the quarterback position instead of falling into more specific definitions.
鈥淚 really don鈥檛 see myself as a dual-threat or a pocket passer, to be honest,鈥� Burkett in an interview with The Athletic. 鈥淚 see myself as a true threat quarterback who can make any play that there is. He can stand back in the pocket, but he can also extend plays with his legs. 鈥�
Burkett鈥檚 high school coach, Louis Brown, confirms this high praise.
鈥淲e鈥檝e had five All-State quarterbacks over my coaching career,鈥� Brown said in a recent interview with 海角社区. 鈥淭alent-wise, in terms of accuracy and delivering the ball, he鈥檚 probably the best.鈥�
Burkett possesses a very quick release as well as an ability to scramble and move the pocket to go along with his excellent accuracy (he completed over 70% of his passes in 2021). Not a lot of players are able to do that at the high school level.
In many ways, his game resembles that of his idol, former Wisconsin quarterback Russell Wilson, now an NFL star.
Over his high school career, Burkett grew not only as an athlete, but as a leader. First starting as a sophomore, he had to learn to command not only the offensive playbook but also to lead the rest of his Franklin teammates in their attempts to return to state title glory.
鈥淗e鈥檚 always had a lot of skills,鈥� Brown said about Burkett. 鈥淭o me, it鈥檚 been more of his growth as a leader, to be honest. He became a much better leader in the 2021 season. He showed a lot of maturity once Wisconsin offered to commit immediately. I think that was a big pressure off his shoulders once that happened, and it allowed him to finish out the season the right way. It was then able to be all about the team and be team-first, and his overall leadership got better as a result.鈥�
Franklin鈥檚 2021 state title just serves as further evidence of Burkett鈥檚 growth and commitment to bettering both his play and the play of those around him on the field.
While Burkett has already shown growth throughout his time at Franklin, he knows that there is more work to be done as he attempts to take his game to a Big Ten level.
鈥淐ollege football is really all about accountability and how I decide to attack this transition,鈥� Burkett in a recent interview. 鈥淚 plan to be that clich茅 first guy in, last guy out because that鈥檚 how I鈥檝e always been. I鈥檓 obsessed with getting better and trying to make those around me better. So, the traits I carry from high school I plan to maintain at the next level.鈥�
From Franklin to Madison, Burkett has already shown his ability as an athlete. It鈥檚 a safe bet that his love for the game will be the key that can take him as far as he wants to go.
鈥淗e loves the game tremendously,鈥� Brown said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 super important to him. I think that鈥檚 a really important quality that kind of gets overlooked a lot of times.鈥�
Coach Paul Chryst and others with the Badgers seem to agree, as they鈥檝e put their faith in the young quarterback from Franklin. Now all that鈥檚 left is for Burkett to go out and use his skill, leadership ability and love for the sport of football to be the best quarterback that he can be.
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