FSU Football: Brian Burns should be enjoyed before eventual NFL departure

FSU football has been saved at times by the play of the next great defensive end in program history, but there are some that don’t full appreciate it.

With the rest of the season  for FSU football looking bleak just one quarter into their homecoming game Saturday against Wake Forest – trailing 10-0 and the Deacons going for it on fourth down deep in the Seminoles’ territory looking for more – one man stepped up and took care of things…the same way he has done it for much of his two and a half seasons in Tallahassee.

That man was Brian Burns, and the defensive end came off the edge for a sack that gave the Noles the ball back and sparked a 38 point unanswered run that helped the Seminoles keep their hopes alive of a winning season (a streak dating back to 1977) and heading to a bowl game (dating back to 1982).

Since arrive on campus before the 2016 season as a five star recruit from the Fort Lauderdale area, the tall man on the end of the FSU football defensive line has gone from nine and a half sacks as a freshman to just four and a half last year, but has bounced back to get nine sacks in 2018 – with five regular season games to go.

His teammates know what Burns brings to the table and what he means to the team (h/t Tallahassee Democrat)

"“Brian Burns came up with a big play as usual. An electric player, a great player and he made a much-needed play.,” said linebacker Dontavious Jackson.“Brian is a leader on our team,” FSU safety Stanford Samuels III said. “We feed off the energy he brings.”"

While many in Tallahassee and those in garnet and gold have seen his work, there is a segment of the fan base and the world of college football that has not given Burns the proper respect and credit for what he has done – and that’s a mistake.

Though we would all love for Burns to stick around for his senior season in Tallahassee and help turn things back around to the dynasty level we expect, the reality is that we are likely down to the final half dozen games – five regular season and hopefully a bowl game – of Burns in a FSU football uniform.

With 23 sacks on his career, Burns sits tied for seventh all time in program history – with former No. 3 overall pick Andre Wadsworth – while being just half a sack away from being tied with two people including All-American Jamal Reynolds for fifth place. Two sacks ties him with Ron Simmons for fourth place and five and a half ties him with DeMarcus Walker for third.

The two people who would be ahead of hm? Reinard Wilson and Peter Boulware. Yeah, we’re not just talking about Brian Burns being among the greats to play defensive end for the Seminoles – we’re having a conversation about him being one of the best in program history.

There is no need to have the conversation five or 10 years from now: Brian Burns will go down as arguably the best defensive end to play for FSU football and should be appreciated now for what he has done and will do in the next half season.