I've had a chance to talk to a couple of people and also to think this over on my own.
Immediately after the couple of longer camp sessions in mid- to late-June one of the things I remember most vividly was how positive people were on EJ Perry's performance. That's not to say he wasn't expected to play well, but I think he did exceed maybe some of the expectations that he arrived with.
In terms of pure throwing ability I think Burton is probably ahead of Perry slightly at this point, largely due to the height difference. But what I continue to hear is that Perry has the intangibles, the "it" factor, whereas that's more unproven with Burton right now.
Burton is a quieter guy, maybe more of a passive guy, from what I've heard. One anecdote that was related to me was that after Perry committed one of the hold-ups for Burton, with BC, was that he wasn't sure about being the second quarterback in the class. Meanwhile, Perry, who was already on board, had very much the attitude of, "If you want a competition for me, bring it on." There aren't questions about his confidence or how he'll command the huddle. He has that healthy swagger whereas Burton could but doesn't exactly exude it.
This may sound like damage control to some folks, but one person today actually told me that it could be a win-win for BC. I get the impression they liked Burton but weren't crazy about him. I don't think they thought he was one of their top 2-3 commits in the class, to put it in more clear terms. One person told me that Addazio and his staff have been wanting to stretch their numbers to take more guys and this, at the very least, allows them to do that.
Will BC target a second quarterback to join Perry in the 2017 class with Burton now gone? I'm told probably not. Can't say for sure, but I do not expect them to right now.
What position will they target with more intensity now that another scholarship has opened? Figure that they already wanted/needed a running back who can be an every-down guy. That remains unchanged. I'm told they'll now just be able to take one additional 'best available' guy at a position like OL, WR, DL, RB, etc.
Immediately after the couple of longer camp sessions in mid- to late-June one of the things I remember most vividly was how positive people were on EJ Perry's performance. That's not to say he wasn't expected to play well, but I think he did exceed maybe some of the expectations that he arrived with.
In terms of pure throwing ability I think Burton is probably ahead of Perry slightly at this point, largely due to the height difference. But what I continue to hear is that Perry has the intangibles, the "it" factor, whereas that's more unproven with Burton right now.
Burton is a quieter guy, maybe more of a passive guy, from what I've heard. One anecdote that was related to me was that after Perry committed one of the hold-ups for Burton, with BC, was that he wasn't sure about being the second quarterback in the class. Meanwhile, Perry, who was already on board, had very much the attitude of, "If you want a competition for me, bring it on." There aren't questions about his confidence or how he'll command the huddle. He has that healthy swagger whereas Burton could but doesn't exactly exude it.
This may sound like damage control to some folks, but one person today actually told me that it could be a win-win for BC. I get the impression they liked Burton but weren't crazy about him. I don't think they thought he was one of their top 2-3 commits in the class, to put it in more clear terms. One person told me that Addazio and his staff have been wanting to stretch their numbers to take more guys and this, at the very least, allows them to do that.
Will BC target a second quarterback to join Perry in the 2017 class with Burton now gone? I'm told probably not. Can't say for sure, but I do not expect them to right now.
What position will they target with more intensity now that another scholarship has opened? Figure that they already wanted/needed a running back who can be an every-down guy. That remains unchanged. I'm told they'll now just be able to take one additional 'best available' guy at a position like OL, WR, DL, RB, etc.
