Alabama 'Getting One Heck of a Player' in Transfer WR Jermaine Burton
Former Georgia safety Lewis Cine isn’t going to start rooting for Alabama, but he did admit the Crimson Tide pulled off a nice coup reeling in transfer wide receiver Jermaine Burton from the Bulldogs this offseason.
“Man, Jermaine is a problem,” Cine said during a media availability at the NFL Scouting combine in Indianapolis. “Kudos to Alabama for winning him over because they’re getting one heck of a player. I’m not a Bama fan, but I am a Jermaine Burton fan, and Jermaine is going to be one heck of a player for them.”
Burton announced his transfer to Alabama on Jan. 23, four days after entering the NCAA transfer portal. The 6-foot, 200-pound receiver is coming off a sophomore season in which he led all Georgia wideouts with 497 receiving yards and five touchdowns on 26 receptions.
Burton's production came on just 30 targets as he did not record a drop, according to Pro Football Focus. His numbers are projected to rise at Alabama as he will be paired with the reigning Heisman Trophy winner in Bryce Young, who threw for 4,872 yards and 47 touchdowns last season.
“We love Jermaine, and we know he’s just making the best decision for him and his family, which he did,” Cine said. “We’re always in support of him. Now when he plays UGA, if we get to play them, now it’s like, ‘I’m still a Jermaine fan, but, hey, I want Georgia to win.”
Burton is expected to take on a big role at Alabama this year as the Crimson Tide lost its top three wide receivers in Jameson Williams, John Metchie III and Slade Bolden. That trio combined for 3,122 yards and 26 touchdowns on 217 receptions last season.
“Jermaine Burton was somebody that we recruited out of high school that we thought was a really, really good player,” Alabama head coach Nick Saban said on National Signing Day in February. “He had a fairly productive year at Georgia. They have a lot of good players at his position, and he had some production this year. But probably might have seen a better opportunity because we're a little bit more wide open and throw the ball more with a good quarterback. That may have been his intention.
“We feel like we lost both starting receivers and Slade, you know two to the draft and Slade, so to get a more experienced player that has some playing time in this league probably is a good thing for us. We like his ability, and hopefully, he'll be able to be very productive for us.”
A look at Jermaine Burton
Jermaine Burton's Instagram account.
Photo | Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports
Photo | USA TODAY
Photo | USA TODAY
