Former Abilene Cowboy Earns KU Football Scholarship

By Pat Strathman August 15, 2019

Sam Burt has been a Kansas Jayhawk since 2017.

Now, he can remove the term walk-on.

The former Abilene Cowboy was surprised with a football scholarship from head coach Les Miles during a team meeting Wednesday. The first year head coach presented Burt, a 6-foot-4, 293-pound nose tackle, with a sheet of paper that was hidden under a towel. As Burt unrolled and examined the note, he and his teammates realized KU was putting him on scholarship.

As a true freshman, Burt played in all 12 games on special teams. In the ensuing fall, he returned to his special teams role, and played some snaps on the defensive line in five games. Burt is expected to be one of the key interior defensive linemen this upcoming season.

Burt was a three-year starter for head coach Steve Simpson, leading the Cowboys to three consecutive North Central Kansas League championships and a regional title in 2015. As a senior, Burt recorded 65 tackles, seven sacks and four pass breakups. Burt earned Kansas Class 4A All-State honors as a defensive end in 2015 and an offensive lineman in 2016.