Hoosiers Now

Indiana Bolsters Defense With Texas A&M Transfer Marcus Burris Jr.

Indiana football added Texas A&M defensive lineman Marcus Burris Jr., a four-star recruit in the class of 2021, through the transfer portal on Sunday.

Jack Ankony

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BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana football made a splash in the transfer portal on Sunday with the addition of Marcus Burris Jr. 

Burris is a 6-foot-4, 290-pound defensive lineman who spent the last two season under coach Jimbo Fisher at Texas A&M. He took a redshirt year in 2021 and appeared in eight games for the Aggies in 2022.

Burris was a consensus four-star prospect in the class of 2021, ranked No. 132 overall, No. 21 among defensive and No. 20 in the state of Texas. Texas A&M had the eighth-ranked recruiting class in the nation in 2021, according to 247Sports, and Burris was the Aggies' sixth-highest ranked recruit in the class. 

Burris played for coach Josh Gibson at Pleasant Grove High School in Texarkana, Tex. In 2019, Burris was a Texas Sports Writers Association 4A first team all-state selection. He helped Pleasant Grove go 15-1 and win the Texas 4A D-II state championship. Burris was also a unanimous first-team all-district selection as a sophomore when Pleasant Grove was a state runner-up.

Out of high school, Burris chose Texas A&M over offers from Alabama, Texas, TCU, LSU, Miami (FL), Oklahoma, Oregon, Tennessee and others. Burris held a 0.9396 rating on 247Sports. For reference, the top two high school recruits in Indiana football history are Dasan McCullough (0.9701) and Stephen Williams (0.9627). Burris would be considered the third-highest recruit in program history by this metric, which does not include college transfers.

Burris joins an Indiana defensive line position group that lost Demarcus Elliott and James Head Jr. from the 2022 roster. JH Tevis, Sio Nofoagatoto'a, LeDarrius Cox, Beau Robbins and Patrick Lucas Jr. return as main contributors from last year along the defensive line. 

Indiana also added Western Michigan transfer Andre Carter, West Virginia transfer Lanell Carr and Texas Tech transfer Philip Blidi. Class of 2022 recruits Nick James, a four-star prospect from IMG Academy, and Venson Sneed, a top-500 recruit from Winter Park, Fla., could also make an impact in 2023.

Related stories on Indiana football

  • PHILIP BLIDI TRANSFERS TO INDIANA: Former Texas Tech defensive lineman Philip Blidi announced on Sunday that he's transferring to Indiana with two years of remaining eligibility. CLICK HERE
  • JACOB MANGUM-FARRAR TRANSFERS TO INDIANA: Indiana football added linebacker Jacob Mangum-Farrar, Stanford's sixth-leading tackler in 2022, through the transfer portal on Saturday. CLICK HERE
  • LANELL CARR TRANSFERS TO INDIANA: Lanell Carr, a former defensive lineman for West Virginia, announced on Saturday that he's transferring to Indiana. CLICK HERE
  • E.J. WILLIAMS TRANSFERS TO INDIANA: Indiana football landed wide receiver transfer E.J. Williams, a former top-100 recruit from Phenix City, Ala. who spent the last three seasons at Clemson. CLICK HERE
  • CHRISTIAN TURNER TRANSFERS TO INDIANA: Former Wake Forest and Michigan running back Christian Turner is joining the Indiana football program for his final season of eligibility, he announced on Friday. CLICK HERE
  • NICOLAS TOOMER TRANSFERS TO INDIANA: Indiana football picked up its third commitment of the day through the transfer portal with Stanford cornerback Nicolas Toomer. CLICK HERE
  • DEQUECE CARTER TRANSFERS TO INDIANA: Wide receiver Dequece Carter gained over 3,000 yards at Fordham, but he announced on Saturday that he's transferring to Indiana for his final year of eligibility. CLICK HERE
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Jack Ankony
JACK ANKONY

Jack Ankony is a Sports Illustrated/FanNation writer for HoosiersNow.com. He graduated from Indiana University's Media School with a degree in journalism. Follow on Twitter @ankony_jack.

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