Burgess ready to compete at Tulsa
6-2, 200 pound quarterback Jabe Burgess from Greenwood (Ark.) will start school at Tulsa this week, and he's ready to start competing for the starting spot leading the Hurricane offense.
"I will be moving in this weekend," he said. "I'm very anxious to come and compete right away."
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Burgess was the first prospect to commit to Tulsa in the 2014 class, and he's currently the most heralded. Rivals.com lists him as the No. 4 overall prospect in the state of Arkansas and the nation's 22nd-best pro-style quarterback. He has been on the InsideTulsaSports.com Hurricane Hot List since February of 2013.
Burgess made his official visit to Tulsa on December 13.
"It was great," he said of his time on the TU campus. "I met a lot of the players and was able to see more of the academic side of the University. It was an awesome time.
"My parents went and had a great time. They feel very comfortable letting me leave early even more now and spent a lot of time talking to the coaches."
Burgess led Greenwood to a 12-1 record this season, completing 152 of 223 passes for 2,082 yards and 20 touchdowns with only six interceptions.
"I was proud of the season we had this year," he explained. "We won a lot of big comeback games and our senior class finished with a career record of 40-1, so we're proud of that as well. Individually, I grew a lot as a leader. We had to come from behind a few times and won two games with game ending field goals.
"My stats were kind of messed up because I was pulled out of most of our games before the second half. I did recently find out I broke the state record for career passing percentage with 74-percent."
In his junior season, Burgess helped Greenwood to a 15-0 record and state championship. He completed 219 of 296 throws for 3,128 yards, 36 touchdowns and just five interceptions. He has an excellent family pedigree in football, which is seen in his natural abilities.
"My strengths are my quick release and ability to read defenses," he described. "I grew up in football and have family coaching in Division 1 programs and a cousin playing quarterback with the Tennessee Titans. That part of my game just comes naturally.
"I need to get bigger and faster this offseason. I plan on taking full advantage of the workout program coming this offseason at Tulsa."
Burgess will compete this spring and fall with sophomore Dane Evans, junior Joseph Calcagni and redshirt freshman Ryan Rubley.
Stay tuned to InsideTulsaSports.com for daily recruiting updates on Tulsa's 2014 recruiting class.
• LINK: 2014 Tulsa Football Commitments
• LINK: Top TU Targets -- OFFENSE
• LINK: Top TU Targets -- DEFENSE
• LINK: TU Recruiting Update: Linebacker
• LINK: Carter enrolling early at TU
• LINK: Little Rock LB will visit Tulsa