'No Excuses!' Ohio State's Denzel Burke Says 2024 is 'Natty or Bust'

In January, Ohio State Buckeyes cornerback Denzel Burke announced he would be returning to Ohio State for one more season rather than declaring for this April's NFL Draft.

In January, Ohio State Buckeyes cornerback Denzel Burke announced he would be returning to Ohio State for one more season rather than declaring for this April's NFL Draft.

At the time, Burke cited his desire to win a national championship and to be a top 10 pick when he does go to the NFL.

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"That's a big thing," Burke said. "Especially for me, man. I want to be a top-10 pick. But not only that, I want to have something to show for it down the road. To be able to show my kids and my family while I was at Ohio State, we won something. That's playing a big factor for me."

And now that he's staying in school, he'll be a part of something else - the upcoming EA Sports college football game, making its long-awaited return.

Burke is the first Buckeyes player to say he'll be appearing in the game and said he thinks his overall rating should be around 95. On Thursday speaking to reporters after Ohio State's second spring practice, Burke doubled down on his national championship aspirations and now, to be the first cornerback taken in the 2025 NFL Draft.

“Diamonds are built under pressure,” Burke said Thursday. “We’re not worried about a thing. We trust in our technique, ourselves, our team and our coaches. … No excuses man, we’ve got to win it all. We’ve been trying to preach that every single day. 

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“It’s great to have everyone back. That was just timing and putting everything together. Continuing to chase that one percent, help each other out and hold each other accountable, continuing to do what we do at a high level.” 

It's "natty or bust" for Burke and the Buckeyes this upcoming season, and with the old coach from TTUN out of the way, a Big Ten title and a "natty" could be in reach.