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Ohio State football recruiting class of 2022 scouting report: Caleb Burton

josh keatley
·3 min read

The recruiting cycle for 2022 is in the books. The Ohio State Buckeyes had a consensus top-five class in the country and are considered the No. 1 class in the Big Ten by a wide margin. The receiving 2022 receiving corps may be even more talented than last year in the long run, and adding a talent like Caleb Burton makes the future of the position even more intriguing.

It should be noted for those that are not familiar, recruiting classes are not like NFL draft classes. Many of these players will not see time as freshmen and will likely be redshirted. It’s also true that in the age of the transfer portal it is likely several players from this class will not be here at the end.

I wanted to at least take a dive into some of the top studs and we’ll start at the top of the recruiting class with wide receiver, Caleb Burton and we have already previously dived into C.J. Hicks, Devin Brown, Kenyatta Jackson, Omari Abor, Kaleb Brown, Kyion Grayes, Gabe Powers, and Tegra Tshabola.

Strengths

Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Caleb Burton (12) braces for impact with cornerback Cameron Kittle (38) during the spring football game at Ohio Stadium in Columbus on April 16, 2022.
Ncaa Football Ohio State Spring Game

Name: Caleb Burton

High School: Lake Travis (Austin, TX)

Height: 6-foot, 0-inches

Weight: 165-pounds

Four-Star Wide Receiver

Caleb Burton has a solid frame that indicates he can grow into a larger more physical receiver, to go with good height. Burton is a high-level hands catcher and lets very few balls go to his body and makes more difficult catches look effortless.

Some people are questioning Burton’s speed, but to me, he looks like a legitimate vertical threat who is capable of taking the top off of any defense. I think Burton is really going to surprise people with how effective he will be running the nine-route and if his speed can’t make it work by itself, he also has top-notch ball skills.

 

Weaknesses

Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Caleb Burton runs past head coach Ryan Day during a spring football practice at the Woody Hayes Athletics Center in Columbus on March 22, 2022.
Ncaa Football Ohio State Spring Practice

Caleb Burton is listed at 165-pounds and he has a solid frame, but he needs to gain weight sooner than later to see the field. The only other concerning aspect of Burton’s game is that he is more jack of all trades, but a master of none than some of the other prospects in this class, which raises the question of how high is his ceiling? I think Burton can be special and this point is a bit nit-picky.

Comparisons: Devin Smith

Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Devin Smith (15) celebrates a touchdown in the second half against the Akron zips in their NCAA college football game at Ohio Stadium, September 3, 2011. (Dispatch photo by Neal C. Lauron)

Devin Smith is an extremely underrated receiver in Buckeye history that played a vital role in the 2014 team’s national championship run. I believe that Burton has some similar traits and a similar body style. He can be a consistent threat and will likely leave with a legit highlight reel of jaw-dropping snags in the same fashion as Smith.

Smith played sparingly as a freshman but started as a sophomore and I would expect the same kind of career arc from Burton.

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