Sam Burt has gained almost 70 pounds and likes playing inside

When Sam Burt was recruited to walk on at Kansas, he was an all-state selection at both defensive end and offensive line. His career with the Jayhawks would start out on the defensive side playing as an end.

Burt, who is from Abilene, arrived at 235 pounds. Naturally his position would be playing defensive end.

“In high school I was on the outside,” Burt said. “I weighed about 235, so coming in my freshman year, that's what I thought I would play. But my freshman year they had different ideas as the season progressed, so they wanted me to go inside.”

That’s when the work started to add weight and make the transition.

“They asked me to gain some weight, so I did it, and now it's two-three years later and I'm almost 300 pounds,” he said. “It's been a big transformation, but it's been really good and helped me immensely in my playing skills and playing time.”

Based on our projections and word out of fall camp Burt is going to see action at defensive tackle. His freshman year he played in 12 games on special teams and did the same as a sophomore. He also played in five games last year on the defensive line.

Getting to 300 pounds required a lot of work adding close to 70 pounds.

“It took a lot of effort, a lot of shakes, and it takes a lot of eating,” he said. “I think one of the things I've really realized is eating is hard. That's been one thing that I've really realized over time how much you have to do, how much you have to be conscious of about what you're eating, how you're eating, when you're eating, how much you're eating, all the time.

“It's just hard to gain weight and maintain the weight I'm at now is a lot of concentration that people don't really realize. Nutrition plays a big part in everything.”

The defensive line has to replace several players who played a big part in last year’s defense. They lost a lot of snaps from 2018 and Burt’s move inside should pay off because they will need him to step up this year.

The last two years he learned a lot from players like Daniel Wise and several others who were on the depth chart in front of him.

“Being under those guys my freshman, sophomore year, I've just learned a lot from them,” Burt said. “Daniel Wise, Keyshaun Simmons, Isi Holani and all those guys really taught me a lot of different things, like how to play inside blocks.”

Putting on the weight took a lot of work but that wasn’t the only adjustment he would have to make. Going from defensive end to tackle meant a more physical approach. Now he would be taking on centers, guards, and double teams.

“I think that just the physicality of it all is a lot different,” he said. “Obviously moving from the outside in high school to the inside has been a lot more physical. A lot more doubles, a lot more scoops and it's just a different mindset, which I've really liked a lot better, actually.

“I feel like I've adjusted pretty well to my move inside and I feel like I've adjusted to the different types of schemes that the offense gives us to the inside. Overall I really like the transformation and I think it's really helped me move up from my position that I was in.”

Fall camp has brought good competition going up against players like Api Mane at center. Burt said the offensive and defensive linemen communicate with each other in practice to help each other out.

Burt, who made the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll the last three years, is a quick learner and credits a lot his recent strides to defensive line coach Kwahn Drake.

Drake was the defensive line coach at Colorado before taking the Kansas job under Les Miles.

“I think the techniques we're learning from Coach Drake and the schemes and stuff like that just helps us play the inside blocks a whole lot better than we've done in the past,” Burt said. “I've seen a difference in myself, in my play and the other guys on the field with me. He's a really good coach, a really good teacher, and honestly credit to him to how well he's worked with us.”