West Virginia’s Aubrey Burks Lands on PFF Preseason All-Big 12 Team

It’s fair to say a major reason so many people are down on WVU football in 2023 is the belief the defense will struggle again. But if the West Virginia defense does surprise people, Aubrey Burks will be a big reason why.

Burks, who has been receiving praise all throughout the offseason from coaches and the media, now lands on a major preseason All-Big 12 team. PFF has Burks as one of the starting safeties.

PFF’s Preseason All Big 12 Team: Defense🔥 pic.twitter.com/itvEHKygQA

— PFF College (@PFF_College) July 19, 2023

It’s not really shocking to see Burks on this list though. PFF has been very high on Burks for awhile. They actually have him graded as the best returning safety in not only the Big 12, but all of college football.

In fact, Burks only ranks behind one player in the country (Kareem Kinchens, Miami, FL) as far as safeties in all of the Power 5.

And when you factor in his experience, how much the West Virginia secondary will rely on him and the high praise thrown his way by safeties coach Dontae Wright, there’s good reason to believe Burks can live up to the hype.

“As good as he wants to be,” is what Wright said when directly asked about the ceiling for Burks, the player the West Virginia defense will rely on to be its leader in 2023.

Wright then elaborated on his statement about Burks. “He can be a pro player or a really good college player. If he puts it all into it, he can play on Sundays,” said Wright.

Aubrey Burks has already displayed a level of maturity with this year’s team. He admitted the lack of a vocal leader in the secondary was something West Virginia could never get over in 2022 after losing former Mountaineer Charles Woods in the first game of the season.

We included Burks on our list of possible WVU products who could be 2024 NFL Draft prospects.