'Blue-Collar' Ethan Burke Brings 'Griminess' To Longhorns D-Line

Texas Longhorns edge rusher Ethan Burke has been one of the fall camp standouts on the defensive line.

In every good pass-rusher, there's a sense of downright nastiness. 

Think about Texas Longhorns greats Kiki DeAyala, Steve McMichael and Brian Orakpo among others. They weren't exactly getting into the backfield to compliment the quarterback's new haircut.

Texas might have that down-and-dirty modern-day player in edge rusher Ethan Burke. Head coach Steve Sarkisian sang his praises for Burke's gritty nature Monday.

"He's a blue-collar guy," Sarkisian said. "He's got length, but at the end of the day, the guy's a mechanic. He goes to work. He rolls his sleeves up. He doesn't mind getting grimy."

Maybe that type of defensive lineman is just what the Longhorns need, as a unit that brought down the quarterback 27 times last season which tied for 71st in the Football Bowl Subdivision.

At 6-6, 257 pounds, Burke is the tallest and third-heaviest edge rusher Texas has behind J'Mond Tapp and Barryn Sorrell.

In 11 games last season, Burke recorded six tackles but 1.5 went for loss, indicating he was getting in the backfield despite his limited opportunities.

Sorrell said Burke has been one of the camp standouts, saying he's "been right there" with him.

"He knows how it feels to be counted out as well, and I feel like we share that," Sorrell said. "We both know we need to rush the passer, so just critiquing him and him asking me a lot of questions about last year and me being able to share my knowledge with him has been very beneficial for both of us."

However, Burke isn't just some lumbering brute waiting to be unleashed. Sarkisian gave credit to his football IQ as well, saying he was taught well at football powerhouse Westlake High School in Austin.

"He's always going to try to find an edge somewhere, and he's got good wits about him," Sarkisian said. "Ethan just being a year advanced in the system, I think he knows how to really just play the game, but he definitely has a toughness and griminess about him that we appreciate."

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You can follow Casey Smith on Twitter @casey_smith2419

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