LAWRENCE – For years, OJ Burroughs let his play on the field do the talking. He still does that, but now the Kansas senior safety is making his voice heard loud and clear.
At the end of summer workouts, Burroughs and his fellow seniors addressed the team. KU coach Lance Leipold wasn’t there to see it, but he heard about if from assistant Matt Gildersleeve, who told him that “OJ’s was one of the best” because it was so emotional and heartfelt how he told them about his journey from Savannah, Ga., to being a Jayhawk.
“Normally I’m not all that talkative, not that loud,” Burroughs said Tuesday at KU football media day. “But I understand the role that I have to be and take on for my team to take that next step.”
Burroughs certainly got a jump on things at practice Tuesday, intercepting two passes and returning one for a score.
“One of them was a zone cut, and my eyes saw it was a two-step read on a quick out,” Burroughs said. “My teammates blitzed, and that helped me. And when the quarterback got the pass off, I just read it.”
Even on plays like that, Burroughs said he was often hesitant to speak up and give pointers to younger players. But now he’s found a way to be a more vocal leader.
“I’m just taking it day by day,” said Burroughs, who had 51 tackles and an interception last year. “I’m focusing on the little things I can get better on and how I can help someone else. You never know what it’s going to come down to so I’m just trying to make the most out of it.”
When the 5-foot-10, 180-pounder first arrived on campus, the team was coming off an 0-9 season and a coaching change as Leipold replaced Les Miles. KU went 2-10 Burroughs’ freshman year, but he and the program seemingly grew together.
“O.J. is such a good kid, so nice all the time and really coachable,” said KU defensive coordinator Brian Borland. “He attacks, he listens, he responds, he’s smart in the classroom and on the football field. And what’s been good since 2021, his first year here, he was doing all that at 165 pounds and really taking his lumps physically in a lot of ways. And now he’s probably put on 20 pounds, and to see the development, and how he’s continued to be a humble kid who really works hard all the time.
“We talk about a joy to coach, and he’s a joy to watch develop. I’m really excited for him because I think this year’s going to be the kind of year he’s really been working for.”
Burroughs said going through difficult times early in his career made this group of seniors stronger and primed for another big season, which begins against Lindenwood at 7 p.m. Thursday at Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kan. The game is being played there as KU’s new stadium is being built — a direct result of the winning culture the football team has now.
“It’s a wonderful feeling,” Burroughs said. “Coming out of high school people were questioning me why KU? And me just seeing a vision, knowing I was coming to be part of a program that I wanted to help change. And over time seeing all the changes happen at KU and all the things that we built, it’s an amazing feeling.”
