Burton flips

To the shock of no one, Florida (via Newton South) QB Austin Burton decommitted from BC and is now verballed to UCLA. When Burton first committed I had a feeling it was only temporary. You don't leave Massachusetts to gain exposure only to go play at a college ten minutes from Newton South.

BC will be fine. We have another QB in this class and there is always the chance Addazio could grab another 5th year (Hayden Rettig?) or a traditional transfer. I won't disparage Burton's choice. My mom went to UCLA and it has a lot to offer. But I do question why he wasted everyone's time committing to BC when it seemed obvious he had his sight sets on other things.

ESPN's Scouting Report on Burton

Austin Burton switched to a Florida High School to raise his profile and become a better football player. Based on this ESPN article it doesn't seem like any of that was necessary. Burton gets high praise for his arm strength and accuracy. They also think he'll be more mobile than expected.

All this talk about Burton has me feeling good, but I can only wonder how it will play out. The verbal to BC put him on other schools' radars. Playing at a higher level will also raise interest. Let's hope he continues to progress, yet doesn't give into the temptation that will come with new offers. 

Burton and Stoneburner commit

Although he only recently received an offer from BC and transferred to Florida in order to gain more national attention, Austin Burton will be playing college football close to home. The former Newton South QB verballed to Addazio Thursday. He's the second QB to commit in this recruiting class. I am excited for him -- all reports are that he is a good kid -- I just hope this sticks. My fear is that if he has a great season in Florida, big programs will come calling.

One of the guys he might be throwing to at BC is new commit Ohio WR Caleb Stoneburner. He's a big kid and from a good program in Dublin, OH, but most of his offers are MAC type. Perhaps being a tweener between Tight End and Wide Receiver scared Power 5s off. BC has done well with big WRs under Addazio. As long as the kid can block, we should be okay.

Can Florida competition validate Mass QB?

BC offered QB prospect Austin Burton Monday after camp. Focusing on a second QB in this class is noteworthy, but what I find more interesting about Burton is his geographic background. He's from Massachusetts and played at Newton South, but is now playing in Florida.

BC was very familiar with Burton before he left for Florida. He's Newton Offensive Cooridnator was Darren Flutie and his father is local Boston anchor Steve Burton. Austin tranfered in an effort to raise his profile and prove his talent at a higher level. Now that he's wrapped up a BC offer, will other Power 5 schools come calling? Will they wait until he actually plays in Florida?

It will be also interesting to see how much playing in his hometown means to Austin and if he is willing to be the second QB in the class. He seems like a good prospect and assuming he plays well this fall, will bring in a different perspective than most of our New England recruits.