After impressive freshman season, Mizzou wide receiver Luther Burden has a huge goal
Mizzou football wide receiver Luther Burden III feels like he’s the best wide receiver in the country. It’s something he’s believed since he started playing sports.
However, he doesn’t think he’s proven it yet.
Burden, Mizzou’s second-highest-ranked recruit in program history according to 247Sports, finished the season with 45 catches for 375 yards and six touchdowns during his freshman year.
Starting 10 of the Tigers’ 13 contests, the former five-star recruit also picked up two rushing touchdowns and another by punt return. Still, he doesn’t think he did enough to be in the conversation among the top wideouts in the nation.
But with the offseason departure of All-SEC slot receiver Dominic Lovett to Georgia, head coach Eli Drinkwitz plans to move Burden to his position this fall. Now, the wide receiver has a chance to build upon an impressive first year and inch closer toward his ultimate goal.
“My role last year was just, you know, getting my feet wet,” Burden said. “A lot of people sleep on me, and I got something to prove.”
Burden and Lovett’s bond started before college, it began when they were little kids.
The two used to play basketball together at a local rec center. From there, Burden and Lovett attended East St. Louis High School — just like their fathers, who also played sports together in high school.
Although Lovett, a former four-star recruit, was a year older than Burden, both receivers committed to Mizzou. They hadn’t planned for it to work out that way.
“Playing a college sport with one of your hometown friends you know growing up, that’s just off the charts for me,” Burden said. “Me and him being together for that year, we brought out the best in each other.”
While Burden played out wide last season, Lovett thrived as the Tigers’ No. 1 receiving option in the slot. He led the team with 56 catches for 846 yards and was named to the All-SEC team second team.
However, with Burden’s 6-foot, 200-pound build — bigger than his predecessor, who stood at 5-10 and weighed around 180 pounds — he will be utilized differently. And with the offense now led by offensive coordinator Kirby Moore, who was hired in January, Drinkwitz wants Burden to be himself.
“We want Luther Burden to be uniquely Luther,” Drinkwitz said at SEC Media Days. “Consistently in our offense, the slot gets the most amount of targets, and so it’s easier to get the playmaker the ball in his hands.”
Entering fall camp, Burden noted that his goal is to stay healthy after missing a few games last year due to a left ankle injury. For Drinkwitz, he also wants his breakout candidate to be more secure with the football, as Burden finished with the second-most drops in the conference (seven).
Both Drinkwitz and Moore described the wide receivers room as deep and competitive, with each player possessing his own strengths. Quarterback Brady Cook agreed with the coaches, emphasizing how Burden and senior wideout Theo Wease are two of the best playmakers on the team — and also have a chance to be among the best leaders.
“(Burden and Wease) definitely have grown in leadership as far as the wide receiver room goes and the offense goes,” Cook said. “They’re going to run routes that get them open, (and) you know you’re going to be able to trust (them) in man coverage. If it’s a zone, they’re going to find the right window to sit in.”
