One of Ohio's top junior offensive linemen is D.J. Burris of Kenton. Burris
got a rare honor back in the spring as he was one of only a few juniors to get
an invite to Nike Camp.
"It was pretty exciting," he said. "I know not many juniors
get invited."
I just got back from Indiana. I wish we had more time to drill. During the
7-on-7s I played linebacker just to stay in shape, just to stay on top of
things.
Burris showed well at the camp, running a 5.31 40 on a slow track at OSU with
4.97 shuttle. Where he really impressed was the bench press, where he did 32
reps at 185.
"I thought I was going to do more than 32 reps of 185," Burris
said. "I've done 225 28 times."
Burris is known for his strength as he took second in the state power lifting
meet in his weight class, where he bench pressed 375 pounds and put up a 660
squat. Right now, the 6-3, 275 pound Burris is slated to play at guard on
defense and DT on offense, but none of the colleges recruiting him have
specified where they would want him to play.
Several schools have showed early interest in Burris, and not surprisingly,
Burris has shown interest in Wake Forest, where former teammate Ben Mauk plays
as a QB.
"Ohio State's in contact, and most of the Big Ten," Burris said.
"I like Wake Forest. Ben is
down there. I played with him on state championship teams. I was a starter as a
sophomore."
Burris participated in track in the offseason, where he threw the shot (47
ft) and discus (147 ft), and he is looking forward to the upcoming football
season. Kenton has had a remarkable past three seasons, and while this year's
team has some new faces, optimism is still there.
"We are going to be young, but we are going to have some talent,"
Burris said.