Mizzou Central

WATCH: Mizzou Freshman WR Luther Burden Catches First Career TD

The freshman-phenom is already making a major impact in Columbia

Matt Galatzan

© Jay Biggerstaff, USA TODAY
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The Missouri Tigers brought in perhaps the most decorated recruit in the history of their program this past offseason in Luther Burden III. 

And through the first 20 minutes of his first game, he has already made a major impact.

With just over seven minutes remaining in the second quarter of the Tigers season opener against the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs, Burden was in the endzone, catching a Brady Cook screen pass and taking it in for a five-yard touchdown. 

The touchdown came on Burden's fourth touch of the game, with the freshman catching two passes for 21 yards and the score, to go along with two rushes for 25 yards. 

And while it is impressive to see a freshman have such an impact early on in his career, with Burden, it should hardly be a surprise. 

The 5-foot-11 and 215-pound receiver has an it factor to his game when called upon to rise to the occasion. 

More specifically, he made tremendous plays during prep days at East St. Louis (Ill.) High School and is already a starter for Mizzou because that trend has been continuing.

In his final season at East St. Louis High School, Burden dominated in both the passing game and return game, showcasing a versatile skill set. Burden would haul in 71 receptions for 1,174 yards and a whopping 20 touchdowns, averaging 16.5 yards per catch.

He was just as lethal in the return game, with 77 kickoff returns for 3,710 total yards and 8 touchdowns, averaging an impressive 48.2 yards per return. 

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Matt Galatzan
MATT GALATZAN

Matt Galatzan is the Managing Editor and Publisher of MizzouSportsTalk.com, AllAggies.com and LonghornsCountry.com, as well as the Editor-In-Chief of InsideTheBears.com, TheGroveReport.com, RamDigest.com, AllSeahawks.com, and TexansDaily.com. Galatzan graduated from the University of Mississippi, where he studied integrated marketing communications, with minors in journalism and business administration. Galatzan started in the sports journalism industry under Mike Fisher at DallasBasketball.com in 2014, which at the time was part of the 247Sports network. He also spent two years covering the SMU Mustangs for PonyStampede.com on the 247Sports network. When DallasBasketball.com and CowboysCountry.com moved over to Sports Illustrated's Fan Nation network in 2020, Galatzan followed suit, eventually being taking over as the Managing Editor and Publisher of LonghornsCountry.com and AllAggies.com a year later. Through the years, Galatzan has conducted a handful of high-profile one-on-one interviews to add to his resume — in both writing and podcasting. Some of his biggest interviews have been with Mavs owner Mark Cuban, former Longhorns players Dan Neil and Phil Dawson, and many other recruits, and current/former players for each of the teams he has covered. Galatzan is also a full-time employee in the digital media department for Audacy and KRLD FM's 105.3 The Fan in Dallas, which is the official radio home of the Dallas Cowboys. You can find Galatzan on all major social media channels. For any inquiries, please email matt.galatzan@gmail.com

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