Watch SI All-American Jordan Burch in Action
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- As many of the top college football prospects in the country assembled for the first day of practice during Under Armour All-American Game week, plenty of eyes remain on Jordan Burch.
The Columbia (S.C.) Hammond standout defensive end verbally committed to hometown South Carolina during the Early Signing Period and made just as many headlines by electing not to sign with the Gamecocks over the following days. Upon arrival for UA All-America Game week, he told reporters many of the programs in the running towards the end of the process -- LSU, Georgia, Clemson and Alabama -- remained in contact and he is open to taking visits in January before the traditional signing period opens up February 5.
Burch was not available for comment Sunday evening, as practices for the game began at ESPN's Wide World of Sports complex. Staff on hand say he may not be available for comment the remainder of the week.
The 6-foot-5, 275-pound specimen did it all for The Hammond School this fall, doubling as a running back, but among some of the top prospects in the country on Sunday he was back at his traditional defensive end spot. During the first practice session, as players began the work week competing in helmets without shoulder pads, Burch flashed as one of the top edge talents in drills and during a brief offensive line/defensive line one-on-one session.
The USC verbal pledge moves very well for his size, coming out of his stance with conviction and displaying strong change of direction skill thereafter. In the competition portion of practice, Burch won reps with great leverage and balance to keep pressure on blockers. Later, he would use the threat of said power to drive his opponent wide before planting and darting underneath with enough quickness to face little physical resistance. Perhaps his top rep came thereafter, where he won by pairing good burst and strong hands to get to the passer.
The combination of size and skill with Burch is part of the reason some feel his recruitment won't be over until he signs a National Letter of Intent. While he elected not to expand on some of the programs in the running, he did admit that LSU was the program which finished just behind South Carolina as he made his verbal commitment earlier this month. DawgNation also reported it was Clemson which finished third in the race, with Georgia and Alabama standing as the other finalists.
“I wanted to go somewhere where I felt like I was a priority and not another option,” Burch said.
The 2020 Under Armour All-America Game will take place Thursday, January 2 at Camping World Stadium in Orlando. It will be nationally televised by ESPN2 at 6:00 p.m. ET.