2017 National Signing Day Profile: Juwan Burgess

Written by: TJ Inman (@TJHoosierHuddle)

Juwan Burgess, 6’0”, 185 pounds, Plant, FL (Plant High School), ATH, 247Sports Composite Ranking: 3-star (87.82)

It’s not often you see a recruit “flip” from the University of Southern California and become an Indiana Hoosier but that’s exactly what versatile athlete Juwan Burgess did. On January 20, he became the third prospect from Plant High School (Thomas Allen and Whop Philyor) to pledge to Tom Allen and the Indiana Hoosiers as he announced he was switching from USC and choosing IU over offers from basically every major college football program. 

Burgess is a unique talent and Plant High School used his abilities all over the field. During his senior year, he played both wide receiver and safety and returned punts. He caught 14 passes for 229 yards and four touchdowns and had 63 tackles with three interceptions. ESPN considers Burgess a four-star recruit and he is the highest ranked recruit in this class according to the 247Sports composite rating. It’s not entirely clear which side of the ball the Hoosiers intend to play him on but, given his ability and the depth IU now has assembled at wide receiver, it seems likely he’ll start his collegiate career at safety. He has tremendous speed and range against both the run and the pass and he consistently showed an ability to make a big play while in coverage. The Hoosiers have good depth at safety and an established star in Jonathan Crawford. That being said, the safeties are upperclassmen and the addition of Bryant Fitzgerald and Juwan Burgess in this class bodes very well for the future of the IU secondary.