Recruiting is heating up for Rex. Here are some articles from some of the recruiting sites.
Geoff Ketchum
Orangebloods.com 1/24/08
Mack Brown and the rest of the Texas staff are looking for a few good men.
Plano running back Rex Burkhead will be in Austin on February 10th.
As the rest of the nation scurries to fill up their recruiting class for 2008, the Longhorns are spending quite a bit of their focus this month on trying to put together a star-studded cast of invites for their first Junior Day on February 1.
With names like JaMarkus McFarland, Garrett Gilbert, Russell Shepard and Mason Walters already confirmed for the 10th, most are expecting the Longhorns to invite all of their "must-haves" on the day that they'll start to make their first wave of offers for the 2009 class.
You can now add one of the state's most productive running backs to the list, as Plano High star Rex Burkhead confirmed on Wednesday night that he'll be making the trip to Austin on February 10th.
"I'm going to Texas on the 10th and I think I might be going to Texas Tech on March 1st. I'm planning on going to that one," Burkhead said. "I've gotten a few Junior Day invites on February 2nd, but that's the date of our football banquet and I can't go to any of those. Texas is the only one that have scheduled so far."
With offers from California, North Texas and Tulsa already under his belt, Burkhead has been focused on finishing out the basketball season, but he knows that recruiting will start to occupy more of his time.
As a junior at Plano, Burkhead help lead resurgence at one of the state's most storied programs by rushing for 1,768 yards and 29 touchdowns, while adding another 523 yards and three touchdowns as a receiver. Over the course of the last two seasons, the 5-10 185-pound running back has amassed more than 4,000 yards of offense and 42 touchdowns. He is currently ranked as the state's No.48 player in the current Lone Star Recruiting Top 100 list.
January 13, 2008
No Stranger To Football
by JASON SAPP
Recruiting Analyst
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Texas high school football is known for speed and Notre Dame is trying to regain their recruiting presence in the Lone Star State.
Bringing in more speed in the backfield has been a focal point for Charlie Weis and Co., and they've shown early interest in three-sport athlete Rex Burkhead.
After moving back to running back, he had an impressive junior season and is projected to play in the backfield at the collegiate level as well.
"We went 13-2 and lost in the 5A state semifinals (30-27) in double overtime to the team that won state (Trinity)," Burkhead reported. "I had 1,700 rushing yards and 29 touchdowns and over 500 receiving yards and three touchdowns.
"I played quarterback last year because our starter got injured and we ran the option. This year we opened up to a shotgun offense so my coach moved me over to running back to get the ball in my hands more. I've played running back my whole life and that's the position that schools are recruiting me as."
Burkhead was listed as one of the 500 underclassmen expected to participate in the Army National Combine but was unable to attend because he had two district basketball games. In addition to basketball, he also runs track for his school and was the first leg of the 4x100 team last spring.
He's still in the early phase of his recruitment after the position change, but he's already receiving scholarship offers and strong interest from various programs.
"I've been offered by Cal, Tulsa, and North Texas," the 5-foot-11, 195-pound back said. "I'm getting interest from the schools in the Big XII, Alabama, Stanford, and Notre Dame. Notre Dame has been sending me letters, and my dad and I are trying to work something out to take a visit there."
While some southern prospects may be a bit weary of the northern weather, Burkhead has even hit the slopes a time or two in the Midwest.
"I'm definitely familiar with Notre Dame and all their rich tradition," he said. "They're known for being a winning program and are always in the top 25. I grew up in Kentucky and actually went skiing a few times in Indiana, so the weather doesn't bother me at all."
Burkhead comes from a family that has experience playing college football and he hopes to follow in a similar path. The main difference is while his older brother decided to play in the Ivy League to focus on the academics, Rex would like to play somewhere that could give him the opportunity to play at the professional level as well.
"My brother is playing at Harvard and sometimes studies before and after the game," he shared. "He had a few Division I-A offers but didn't want to play football after college. My dream has always been to play in the NFL. My dad played football at Eastern Kentucky and had try outs with the Miami Dolphins and Philadelphia Eagles."
Whichever route the younger Burkhead decides to take, there doesn't look to be any concerns academically as he currently carries a 3.7 GPA.
Even though he has a clear idea of what he would ultimately like to do after college, there's still plenty of time before he starts to narrow down his choices.
"I'm open to everyone right now and don't have a top five or anything like that," he said. "I'd love to take some official visits to see the campuses and the coaches to get a better perspective of how the schools are."
One school he certainly wants to see up close and personal is Notre Dame as they attempt to have more success in recruiting prospects from Texas.
