MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — For West Virginia’s defense to display the noticeable improvement the unit strives to in 2023, the Mountaineers need a combination of returning players to step up, less experienced players to show they belong and transfers to be welcomed additions.
None of that is lost on free safety Aubrey Burks, whose third season of college football starts Saturday with the season opener at seventh-ranked Penn State. There may be no greater challenge to WVU on both sides of the ball this season than what it’ll face in the form of the defending Rose Bowl champion.
“As a kid coming out of high school wanting to play college ball, it’s something you should be excited about — as a player and team, living out your dreams and goals and doing all the things you wrote down one day that you said you’d accomplish,” Burks said. “The excitement for this game is really high. Definitely have to be composed throughout this week and take it day by day until we get there.”
Burks unquestionably begins his junior season as one of the Mountaineers’ leaders, particularly on the back end of the defense. He was tops on West Virginia with 46 solo tackles a year ago and second with 66 overall tackles. Burks also recorded 4.5 tackles for loss, one sack, one interception and a forced fumble.
“Leadership is playing and guys gravitate to the best players naturally,” WVU defensive coordinator Jordan Lesley said. “When those guys are playing the way they’re capable of and they’re talking, it makes it a lot easier.”
Burks will make his 18th appearance in a West Virginia uniform at Beaver Stadium. He gained valuable experience in 2021 by playing six games as a true freshman before suffering a season-ending injury at TCU.
Last year, Burks overcame an early-season injury that forced him to miss the Week 3 matchup with Towson and played in every other game.
Now, a player who safeties coach Dontae Wright has referred to as an extension of the coaching staff looks to elevate his play to a level not seen before.
“This camp was different for me than last year, mainly because I wanted to step up and be more of a leader, bring young guys and other guys with me,” Burks said. “Learn from coach Wright and dive deep into it. He and I meet every other morning. My football IQ has gone up more. I feel like I’ve stepped up as a leader big time and my knowledge of the game has a big improvement.”
Wright has credited Burks for his approach throughout the offseason and a willingness to get to the team facility by 6 a.m. every other day to study film and develop a better understanding of assignments and opponents.
Burks believes being more vocal and going above and beyond to form a better understanding of what’s necessary for success at his position should prove most beneficial to him in the upcoming season.
“Even though I was a sophomore, last year was my first year of truly playing a full season,” he said. “At times, I was just out there floating around. Sometimes I was doing my own thing. Now diving into it and changing my mindset with how I want to learn the game of football and seeing how NFL players approach the game made me change my way.
“[Former WVU wide receiver] Bryce Ford-Wheaton was one guy last year I saw make a big change, and once I saw the change he made and how it paid off for him, I was like I want to be in those shoes that he was in and take the steps that he took. I told myself if I want to make a change, my IQ has to get better and I have to bring my teammates with me and be more vocal. I had the respect last year from my teammates. I just wasn’t as vocal as I am now. Being more vocal will definitely help our team and my leadership and IQ.”
Oddly enough, Burks says the defense as a whole “switched up a lot of things” this offseason, including fewer checks at the line of scrimmage that don’t require as much communication.
Yet too often in 2022, WVU’s defense was plagued by a lack of communication or pre-snap alignment issues that led to coverage busts and players being out of position.
While simplification can help to create fixes, Lesley believes the unit as a whole is in a different place when it comes to communicating.
“Kids are talking and they seem like they feel confident in what we’ve been doing,” Lesley said. “That’s probably the biggest thing is communication with each other.”
As Burks continues to mesh with several new pieces in the secondary, particularly transfer safeties Anthony Wilson and Keyshawn Cobb and transfer cornerback Beanie Bishop, he knows his play will be a big factor in how the unit’s ability to limit Penn State.
“We know our backs against the wall. I love it,” Burks said. “Like coach Wright tells us, it’s always good when somebody doubts you — now you can go prove them wrong. We know what we have to do to prove everybody wrong. Everybody in this facility believes in us and that’s all we need. If we have that, we should be OK for this year and as long as we stick together throughout the year, we’ll be just fine.”