Senior Wide Receiver Trey Burton: Mr. Versatility Finds a Home
Tuesday, November 5, 2013 | Football
By Jenny Moss, UF Communications
Trey Burton is a versatile player for the Gators. During his first three years at Florida, he played multiple positions, including quarterback, running back, fullback, tight end and wide receiver. In that span, he totaled almost 1,300 all-purpose yards. Now, he's strictly a wide receiver and is tied for the team lead on the Gators with 31 receptions and is third on the squad with 347 receiving yards through eight games. Over the past four years, Burton has grown into a leadership role on the field, one that may not have been the same had he not seen so much change.
“My role on the team has changed a lot,” Burton said. “I started off as a quarterback. As a quarterback, you don't play on special teams at all; you really just focus on the quarterback position. I was moving on to doing whatever Coach (Urban) Meyer and Coach (Will) Muschamp wanted me to do to get on the field for me and myself to play, get the experience and to help the team out. Now, I am strictly a wide receiver working with Coach (Joker) Phillips. So, I guess I have played every position since my freshman year.”
Playing every position, as Burton puts it, has allowed him to be able to draw on personal experiences when helping others on the team who may need some guidance with their positions.
“It definitely helped me to play multiple positions,” continued Burton. “I can help other players learn the position like the guys who are playing fullback and guys who are playing running back because I know what they are supposed to be doing and how they are supposed to be doing it because I have been there before and I have done it. So, I think it made people kind of respect me for being able to do all those things. I can say that I have done the work and been there so they know that I know what I am talking about.”
Although he certainly values his experiences playing an assortment of positions, it wasn't the easiest thing for Burton to do. Changing positions meant having to learn all about every position he played.
“The biggest difference and hardest thing for me was to get down all the technique for a certain position,” the Venice, Fla., native said. “When I played fullback, learning all of the fullback techniques and wide receiver, I had to learn all of the different types of techniques. The biggest difference is learning all about the position instead of having just the basic knowledge of it.”
After three years of versatility and movement on the field, Burton is finally settled into one position – wide receiver. But, no matter what position he is playing, as long as he is on the field for the Gators, Burton is happy.
“Now, I definitely like it better now because I am playing and playing a lot,” Burton said. “My freshman, sophomore and junior years, I probably wouldn't have been playing a lot had I been playing just one position. So, playing a bunch of positions got me on the field. At the time, I liked it but now I am happy playing just one position.”
Change has been a theme not only for Burton's career, but also for the Florida football team as a whole this season. Injuries have forced changes in starters as well as how some players are viewing the season.
“The injuries that have happened so far have definitely brought us together and given us another reason to play – for (Dominique) Easley, (Jeff) Driskel, and everyone else who has been hurt,” Burton said. “We are playing for them and they are living through us not being able to be out there. They expect us to give it our all. I think it hit a lot of guys on the head and let them know that Easley got hurt in practice doing something he does a million times a day. So, you never really know when your last play is or when your last chance is to be out there is. It's important to make sure you take advantage of every play, even at practice.”
The rash of injuries have pushed the team to become closer, but, entering the season with a clear idea of what laid ahead is something Burton feels had also helped.
“This year it is a lot different because I feel like we are a lot more of a team, it's not as many individuals as there were last year,” Burton acknowledged. “With this being the second year on the offensive side under Coach (Brent) Pease, we all understand what we are supposed to do and how we are supposed to do it. We have been through a season and the struggle and all of the stuff. We know what is coming, we know how tough the SEC is and we know what we are going to have to do and how we are going to have to practice to beat them on Saturdays.”
Preparing for each new opponent is something that doesn't change from week-to-week. Learning about each new foe and how to face them specifically is a little different, but it's the same basic concept for every team. Burton has had to prepare for a lot of opponents while playing several different positions during his time at Florida. But, one thing has never changed – the Florida/Georgia game is his favorite.
“Georgia is my favorite game,” said Burton. “It has always been my favorite game since my freshman year. I just love the atmosphere and it's always a competitive game. The stadium is split half and half in Jacksonville and there is nothing like it. We both have really passionate fans, we are similar in a lot ways and we expect a lot from each other. It is a lot of fun.”
