Former Tennessee Vols defender reveals the SEC player that made him say 'Bro, I gotta get better'
Former Tennessee Vols cornerback Warren Burrell likely spent most of his life before getting to college as the best player on the field. But once he got to the SEC, he was surrounded by players who could make the same claim. Burrell's confidence, however, never wavered. He knew if he played his game and played […]
Former Tennessee Vols cornerback Warren Burrell likely spent most of his life before getting to college as the best player on the field.
But once he got to the SEC, he was surrounded by players who could make the same claim.
Burrell's confidence, however, never wavered. He knew if he played his game and played with sound technique, that he could compete against anyone in the SEC. If Burrell had a bad play, he could usually identify where he messed up and what to do to keep it from happening again on the next play.
There was one SEC player he faced, though, that made him say "Bro, I gotta get better".
Burrell, who transferred to Georgia Tech earlier this offseason after spending five seasons at Tennessee, recently joined the Real Talk Player Podcast and he pointed out former Florida Gators tight end Kyle Pitts as the best player he faced during his time with the Vols.
"Bro, personally, Kyle Pitts," said Burrell when asked about the best player he's faced in college. "My sophomore year, we played them (Florida) at home at Tennessee. And he did not play tight end. He played X (receiver), Kyle Pitts played X. And the whole game, we're in the boundary and this dude caught a fade on me, you can watch it — it was on his draft tape when he got drafted (in 2021). I swear to God, the video was on the tape.
"It was great coverage, man. Bro, he just caught it. And it was one of those situations where, like, I'm a confident guy. If I don't get it in this rep, I feel like there's something I can fix, get it right, figure out what it is, and let's get right the next play. That was just one of those moments where it's just like, bro, I gotta get better…like that's an NFL talent, for real. That's where you want to get to."
Tennessee lost that matchup 31-19 to Florida in 2020. Pitts had one of his best games of the season, catching seven passes for 128 yards.
The following spring, Pitts was the No. 4 overall selection in the 2021 NFL Draft.
Sometimes you can do everything right and still not make the play. That's the impact that a freak athlete can have on the game. And it's why programs are now willing to pay so much in NIL money (except for LSU apparently) to land freak athletes via either the transfer portal or high school recruiting.
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