WARREN -- The state's best wide receiver is making his way to the Hill.
Warren wide receiver Treylon Burks signed a national letter of intent Wednesday with the University of Arkansas.
Burks, a four-star wide receiver by Rivals, 247Sports and ESPN, chose Arkansas over Auburn, LSU, Mississippi, South Carolina, Florida State and Michigan, among others. He is the fourth Warren wide receiver under Coach Bo Hembree to sign with Arkansas, joining Jarius Wright, Greg Childs and Chris Gragg, who all signed in 2008.
"I fell in love with the campus with the coaches and the staff," Burks said. "I think Coach [Chad] Morris is going to turn this program around and do something great."
In his junior season in 2017, Burks caught 45 passes for 1,090 yards and 14 touchdowns, earning a spot on the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette All-Arkansas Preps first team. He rushed for 936 yards and 27 touchdowns on 114 carries, and added 4 special teams scores (3 punt returns, 1 kickoff return). On defense, Burks returned three of his five interceptions for touchdowns.
Last season in six games before a knee injury knocked him out for the remainder of the season, Burks caught 8 passes for 244 yards and 4 touchdowns and threw 3 touchdown passes.
When asked about his knee, Burks said he was 85 percent and that he should be 100 percent by the time he arrives on the Arkansas campus this summer.
Burks, 6-3, 225 pounds, 4.5 seconds in the 40-yard dash, finished his high school career with 151 receptions for 3,403 yards and 43 touchdowns and was a member of Warren's 2016 Class 4A state championship team. He was the first ninth-grader to start for Hembree.
"He's unbelievable," Hembree said. "He did so much. What was he best at? I couldn't tell you. He punted, he returned punts, he returned kicks, he was a kicker, he played wide receiver, he played quarterback and he played linebacker. He could do so much. As a football player, he's the best I've ever coached."
Burks had planned to sign in December. However, his grandmother Freda Burks could not attend a signing-day ceremony set for Dec. 19, so Burks opted to wait until February to ink with the Razorbacks. Burks' mother Shafreda Strickland and Freda Burks joined the athlete on Wednesday and Strickland was happy to see her son continue his football career.
"It means a lot," Strickland said. "We're very proud of him. We've always loved watching him play."
While Warren defensive lineman Marcus Miller signed with the Razorbacks in December, he wanted to be part of Wednesday's signing day ceremony with Burks and teammate Keemontrae McKnight, a wide receiver who signed with Ouachita Baptist University.
Miller, 6-5, 300 pounds, recorded 52 tackles, including 7 for a loss, 2 sacks, 4 quarterback hurries and 1 fumble recovery last season for the Lumberjacks. He was a first-team All-Arkansas Preps selection in 2018.
In 2017, Miller had 78 tackles, 8 sacks and 6 pass breakups. He had 65 tackles in seven games as a sophomore in 2016.
"When I went there, it felt like home," Miller said. "They took me and it felt really good. I feel like we'll have a really good program."
Said Hembree: "Anytime you can weigh a bunch of weight and don't weigh that much, you've got a chance to be a real special player. Where they play them at, that's up to them."
Burks and Miller are the 17th and 18th players from Warren to sign with a NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision school since 2000, when Hembree took over the Lumberjacks program. Hembree said having a strong class at Arkansas with in-state kids can be beneficial going forward.
"This class has a chance to be really good," Hembree said. "I told Coach Morris that from Day One.
"When you grow up calling the Hogs and you then go play for them, it means more to you."
Sports on 02/07/2019