Next Up: Why Jermaine Burton’s Latest Move Will Be His Most Important
Sienna Borho’s phone is ringing again, and while Alabama fans don’t know it, that’s a very good sign for the Crimson Tide.
Before her younger brother, Jermaine Burton, first started suiting up in pads during the eighth grade, Borho couldn’t tell you the first thing about football. Even after years of taking in practices and training sessions from the stands, she’d likely have a hard time breaking down a route tree or explaining where the X receiver is supposed to line up.
She does know her little brother, though. And when he wants to talk, it usually means success on the field is soon to follow.
“I can tell when he’s in the zone because he will call me every single day,” Borho said. “He’ll tell me that he had a great practice or that he felt good. When Jermaine’s really focused, he calls me and lets me know about every accomplishment that he makes. That’s how I know he’s back in that mode and ready to work.”
Alabama will need Burton to be dialed in over the next few months as it looks for him to take over a receiving unit that lost its top three targets from the year before.
The Georgia transfer arrived in Tuscaloosa, Ala., in late January, less than two weeks after helping the Bulldogs defeat the Crimson Tide in last season’s national championship game. The switch drew criticism from the crowd in Athens, Ga., creating an uncomfortable spotlight on the star receiver heading into what figures to be a decisive junior year.
According to Borho, that’s also good news for Alabama.
“Jermaine likes to be uncomfortable,” Borho said. “He’s not a stagnant person. He’s always like, ‘OK, what’s next?’ He likes to prove himself to people. He makes himself uncomfortable so that he pushes himself harder. That’s how he grows.”
To understand Burton the way his sister does, it helps to know a little bit about his story and the winding cross-country journey that led him to the Crimson Tide.
Clarity throughout change
The miles on Burton’s odometer only tell part of the story.
Originally from Atlanta, the receiver began his high school career at Hapeville Charter in 2016. His emerging talent then took him to the prestigious IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., for his sophomore year before homesickness brought him back to his mother and sister the following winter.
Burton was supposed to finish his high school career in Marietta near his family’s home, but a rule change by the Georgia High School Association labeled him ineligible, forcing him to look for opportunities out of state. From there, he and his family uprooted, leaving the Deep South behind for the California coast as he spent his junior and senior seasons at talent-rich Calabasas High School.
On its surface, the 3,200 miles of back-and-forth travel paint a picture of indecision. Although, at no point during his winding path did Burton ever lose track of his plan.
Borho only recalls bits of the conversation that led her family to travel across the country to support her brother’s football dreams. However, his determination during that moment still stands out to this day.
“He was very calm,” Borho said. “He was calm, but he was also excited and like, ‘OK, we gotta do this. This is what I need. This is what I wanna do. Mom, we have to do this.’ So he just had his mind made up, and that's what he had to do.”
Burton’s vision was the only sense of certainty the cross-country move offered. His mother and sister made the trip with him before locking down jobs at their new destination. That, combined with the inflated costs of California, created quite a bit of financial strain for the family early on.
Burton was introduced to the idea of transferring to Calabasas by his friend Johnny Wilson, who was one of the team’s starting receivers alongside fellow four-star prospect Mycah Pittman. Still, the move meant starting over both on the field as well as in his personal life as he left behind several friendships in Atlanta.
Strangers to their new surroundings, Burton and his family formed an even tighter bond in California. Due to their monetary restraints, entertainment commonly came in the form of car rides as the trio would ride up and down the Pacific Coast Highway or venture into wealthy neighborhoods. While his mother and sister would allow their imaginations to drift among the dreamscape of palm trees and high-priced houses, those rides focused Burton, serving as a reminder of his goal to one day provide that life for his family.
Borho would often discuss the future with her brother. The conversation she remembers most came during a late-night drive as Burton found a hill that overlooked the city. Sitting outside the car, the two spent the next couple of hours discussing the road that brought them across the country as well Burton’s plan to make it all mean something.
“Jermaine’s determined to be successful,” Borho said. “He knows that he’s going to make it. He knows it’s going to be him one day, but he doesn’t look at it that way. He looks at it like, ‘This is going to be y’all one day. One day I’ll be able to do this for you and mom.’ I don’t know how to explain it. He’s so determined to have that, he’s going to do anything for it.”
Photo | Gary Cosby Jr.-USA TODAY
Switching sides
Burton’s decision to transfer from Georgia to Alabama this offseason left many scratching their heads.
For one, he was finally back home. After he signed with the Bulldogs in 2020, his sister and mother followed him back to Georgia, returning to their roots in Atlanta. The two were able to attend the majority of his games, cheering him on as he recorded a combined 53 receptions for 901 yards and eight touchdowns over the past two years.
Burton was Georgia’s most productive wideout last season, averaging 19.12 yards per reception while totaling 497 yards and five touchdowns through the air over 14 games. He was all but guaranteed to retain that role for the Bulldogs this season as he entered his third year as a starter.
And if he was ready to give all that up, why Alabama, the bully Georgia had finally vanquished en route to its first national title in more than four decades? Kansas City Chiefs receiver Mecole Hardman even questioned the move on social media shortly following Burton’s announcement.
“How you go to the team we just beat?” Hardman posted on Instagram. “And leave a team you won the natty with?”
After previously blocking out the criticism, that remark prompted a response from Burton.
“Why it matter on who agree?” he posted above a tweet from 247Sports asking fans if they agreed with Hardman’s quote. “My career. Nobody else’s.”
Burton has yet to speak on his transfer since joining the Crimson Tide. It’s likely the public won’t hear his reasoning behind the switch anytime soon as Alabama isn’t planning to make him available to the media this spring.
That being said, the math behind the move isn’t hard to figure out.
According to Pro Football Focus, Burton’s 26 receptions came on a mere 30 targets, tying him fourth on the team. Georgia’s offense called for Stetson Bennett to take on more of a game-manager role as the former walk-on quarterback directed the majority of his passes toward star tight end Brock Bowers, who led the team with 71 targets.
While Burton was involved in the occasional big play, Bennet seemed to favor three-star freshman receiver Adonai Mitchel (59 targets) and three-star redshirt freshman slot receiver Ladd McConkey (39 targets) as his preferred options at the wide receiver position. The 30 passes that came Burton’s way matched that of running back James Cook, another one of Bennett’s safer options in the passing game.
Meanwhile, an Alabama offense with Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young behind center produced a pair of 1,000-yard receivers in Jameson Williams and John Metchie III. The Crimson Tide targeted Metchie 128 times over 13 games — more than four times the amount of opportunities Burton received in one fewer game. Williams, one of three finalists for the Biletnikoff Award, wasn’t far behind with 115 targets over 15 games.
Being on the wrong end of that type of disparity didn’t mesh well with Burton’s drive for self-improvement or his desire to take his game to the next level.
“He had goals that he wanted to reach as a college receiver, and I think that’s what kind of did it for him,” Burton’s mother Sheri said. “You know, when you’re going in from high school, you want to accomplish these goals. I know the type of receiver Jermaine is, and I know he has the ability to be able to reach these goals. Sometimes when you’re not reaching your goals, you get a little unmotivated and it just frustrates you a little bit. He had to do what he had to do.”
Burton is trained by Terrence Edwards, the Bulldogs’ all-time leader in receptions and receiving yards. While the Georgia great says he still bleeds red and back, he’ll have no problem cheering his protégé on as he pursues his dream in crimson and white.
“If Jermaine feels like he can better himself and his family by leaving Georgia, why shouldn’t he be able to do that?” Edwards said. “As a player, sometimes you have to be selfish in your own career. Jermaine was averaging 19.12 yards per catch, so if he had the same opportunities those [Alabama] receivers did this year and the same amount of targets, just imagine what his numbers would have looked like.”
Alabama Athletics
Fitting in fine
Eager to get his bearings in his latest digs, Burton has been an easy man to find this offseason.
A good place to look is next to Holmon Wiggins, where the junior receiver can be seen hovering around the wide receivers coach looking to soak up Alabama’s system as quickly as possible. If he’s not there, check the practice field where he’s spent countless extra throwing sessions with Young, working religiously to build a repertoire with the quarterback.
“He’s someone who came in and really has a really professional mindset,” Young said last week. “Right when he transferred in, he wanted to know the plays, wanted to know the system, meeting with Wiggs, meeting with and talking with me and asking me questions about how we did stuff, how our operation worked, certain routes, the specifics. He’s someone who has worked hard to catch up as quickly as possible and kind of bridge that gap.”
Burton and Young have known each other for a while. The two shared similar circles while traveling to the same high-profile camps in California. In many ways, they are made for each other.
Young’s ability to buy time in the pocket allows for the more complex routes Burton is able to execute downfield. Meanwhile, the receiver’s sure hands and veteran savvy make him a trustworthy option for a passer who will be without five of his top six targets from last season.
A marriage like this makes too much sense to be denied on account of sentimentality or rivalries. As far as Burton’s concerned, that’s for the fans to fight over.
“When you look at Alabama, you’ve got the best quarterback in college football coming back,” said Curtis Conway, Burton’s former wide receivers coach at Calabasas. “The way he spreads the football around — I’m just being honest — he’s better than the quarterback that Jermaine had last year. And, Alabama’s right down the street, basically from Atlanta. Once I sat back and thought about it and looked at how Alabama gets their receivers the ball and showcases them, it’s actually a great move.”
Conway, who spent 12 seasons in the NFL as a receiver, has a point. Over the past four drafts, Alabama has produced five first-round receivers, including two apiece in each of the past two years. Despite tearing his ACL during the national championship game in January, Williams is projected to extend the Crimson Tide’s tally to six in five years as most have him tabbed as a Day 1 selection next month.
In a year’s time, Burton will also look to add his name to that list. It’s why he took on this latest challenge as well as the several turns that preceded it. Time will tell if Burton’s next road will lead him to the first round and the fortunes he vowed to deliver during those dreamy drives down the California coast.
At moment, this latest path looks promising.
“He's been a real positive addition to the receiver corps,” Nick Saban said last week. “He's got quickness. He's got speed. He's got really good hands. He runs good routes.
“And again, a little more experience, a little more maturity, really helps these guys learn and understand how to do things.”
In Burton’s case, a bit of transition doesn’t hurt either.
“Everyone needs a change,” Borho said. “Jermaine needed that change to push him and to make him work even harder. He needed that.”
Gallery: Jermaine Burton
Alabama Athletics
Alabama Athletics
Alabama Athletics
Alabama Athletics
