"Versatility, intelligence and competitiveness," former Florida head coach Urban Meyer once said regarding all-purpose offensive player Trey Burton. "Those are things you just don’t know until you get your hands on a player."
In a time when many college and professional football players are unwilling to convert positions for the benefit of the team, Philadelphia Eagles tight end Trey Burton is the exception.
As a dual-threat quarterback at Venice High School in the Sunshine State, Burton had 40 touchdowns, 22 of which came on the run, while throwing just one interception as a senior in 2009. The magnificent season would earn the quarterback first-team all-state honors for the second consecutive year.
Coming out of high school, there were questions as to whether the three-star recruit possessed the throwing skills to become a successful signal-caller at the highest level of college football. The 6'3" quarterback received offers from Florida Atlantic, South Florida and West Virginia among others, eventually committing to Meyer and the Florida Gators, a football powerhouse with national titles in 2006 and 2008.
As a freshman, the multifaceted athlete broke legendary quarterback Tim Tebow’s record for touchdowns in a single game with six scores during Florida’s 24th consecutive victory over Kentucky. Burton was deployed in the same role which Tebow perfected, a short-yardage specialist in the "wildcat" formation, scoring on runs of 11, 10, nine, seven and three yards against Kentucky, in addition to an 11-yard touchdown reception.
The Gators all-purpose weapon would be named to the All-SEC Freshman Team, and was primed for a promising career as the signal-caller of Meyer’s spread-option attack.
"I thought he was a good player when we recruited him," Urban Meyer said following the record-breaking performance. "But we had no idea what we had until we figured it out during training camp. He really did well."
Following the dynamic playmaker’s freshman season, Meyer would unexpectedly resign as coach of the Gators. With defensive-minded Will Muschamp taking over head coaching duties, the offense would adapt their unique spread-option attack to a more conventional system in attempt to maximize the value of traditional quarterback John Brantley.
Had Meyer never left the program, it's possible that many of Tebow’s assortment of career records would now be owned by Burton.
Trey Burton would go on to finish his college career with 720 rushing yards, 976 receiving yards and 20 touchdowns as his team descended into mediocrity, concluding 2013 with a 4-8 record. During his career, Burton would play quarterback, halfback, fullback and tight end before spending his senior year at slot receiver. Through all the hardship, Burton never attributed blame for his less-than-stellar final three seasons.
"I’ve learned a lot of life lessons through my four years here — the highest of highs and lowest of lows," Burton said. "I couldn’t have wished for anything better."
The Venice, Fla. native was signed by the Eagles after going undrafted in 2014. After making the 53-man roster, the selfless Eagle would contribute on special teams and even chipped in at running back during a 27-0 blowout of the New York Giants during his rookie campaign.
Much like August of 2010 in Gainesville, Florida, the imposing 6'3", 225-pound tight end with 4.5 speed has dazzled coaches during Philadelphia's 2016 training camp. The tight end with receiver-like quickness has been a matchup nightmare for the Eagles defense, hauling in touchdowns on a seemingly daily basis and leaving defenders baffled by his inimitable combination of size and speed.
Burton will get a slew of opportunities over the next few weeks to prove that his efficient training camp isn’t a flash in the pan. If Burton can continue his pass-catching prowess through the preseason and into the regular season, the Eagles will likely utilize two tight end sets in order to get their three capable tight ends sufficient action.
Philadelphia coaches are clearly noticing the superb play of the undrafted Gator, having implemented a three tight-end formation, with Brent Celek, Zach Ertz and Trey Burton on the field simultaneously.
Patrick Del Gaone is a staff writer for Sports Talk Philly. Follow him on Twitter @Del_Gaone.
