Burks' talent evident to Pittman, Franks

Arkansas receiver Treylon Burks is shown during a July 2020 workout in Fayetteville.

FAYETTEVILLE — Treylon Burks showed numerous flashes of brilliance during an impressive freshman season at Arkansas.

His athleticism and sure hands in the passing game coupled with great elusiveness on special teams, particularly on punt return, landed him on the SEC All-Freshman Team in 2019. He and running back Rakeem Boyd, who rushed for 1,133 yards and eight touchdowns, highlighted a season filled with offensive struggles.

Although he did not tally a touchdown last fall, his production provided plenty of optimism and promise for the future at the receiver position.

In 2020, Burks can cement himself as Arkansas’ go-to target and one of the best pass catchers in a league littered with talented skill players.

“He’s talented enough to be a No. 1 receiver on several teams, in my opinion,” Arkansas coach Sam Pittman said Monday during a Zoom conference with reporters. “We’ve got to find ways to get the ball to him, whether it’s throwing it to him, running him out of the backfield, throwing quick swings to him.

“He’s a big, fast receiver that we need to get touches to. He’s earned that, in my opinion, through the walkthroughs, through his offseason workouts and (Day 1 of fall camp).”

In a successful individual season, Burks led the Razorbacks with 475 yards, becoming the fourth true freshman in program history to finish with 400-plus receiving yards. The others to accomplish that feat were Anthony Lucas, Marcus Monk and Hunter Henry.

Burks finished with a career-high 92 yards on four receptions in Arkansas’ victory over Colorado State last year and 80 yards on three catches at No. 1 LSU. But, largely due to consistently inconsistent quarterback play, getting the ball in Burks’ hands proved difficult in a number of games.

He caught more than four passes only once. He had two or fewer receptions in five SEC games.

Ten of his 63 targets last season were deemed uncatchable, according to SECStatCat, a website dedicated to in-depth analysis of the conference’s football teams. The site’s numbers also indicate Burks created four receptions on poorly thrown balls through individual playmaking.

That has Razorbacks quarterback Feleipe Franks eager to get to work with the sophomore.

“His speed and his ability to catch the ball, the range he has, he’s a really good player, I think,” said Franks, a graduate transfer from Florida. “He’s a good player, for sure. Then you just go out there and see him run routes.

“You can tell this kid stands out.”

Pittman thinks the world of Burks, who is one of only nine sophomores on the Paul Hornung Award watch list this year. Pittman applauded the Warren native on Monday for his loyalty to the Razorbacks during his recruiting process.

“That makes a big difference to me,” Pittman said. “He’s a great kid. He’s a talented guy. I really like him.”

Pittman said Monday that the staff has Burks “on every special team” and labeled him a dynamic return man. Last season, Burks returned 10 kickoffs for 226 yards, and on his 12 punt returns totaled 130 yards, the most in a season since 2011 (Joe Adams – 321).

“He’s definitely a leader on the team and he shows it by example in what he does,” Franks said. “I think he’s a great ball player.”