Houston-Lamar DB's Burrell and Hogan recap Utah visit
COLLEGE STATION, Tex. -- Houston-Lamar has one of the best secondary units in Texas, thanks in large part to Anthony Cook and D’Shawn Jamison, but Utah has zeroed-in on two of its other playmakers, and both were on campus at the end of June.
2018 3-Star safety Zion Burrell and 2019 cornerback Alex Hogan made the trip out to Salt Lake City and were in attendance at Utah’s elite prospect camp on June 19. The offer from the Utes is the only one for Burrell, who only played two games last year before a collarbone injury ended his season early, but he expects to bounce back this fall and show he’s worthy of the offer from Utah, and deserving of more.
“I know what I’m capable of, but I know I have some things to work on too,” he said. “But I’ve been in the weight room, working out with Cook and (Jamison), getting better every day, Coach (Lamar coach Theadis) Reagins is helping me out, getting me in the right shape and just getting some more looks out there.
“I got the size, I have the potential to be a top recruit in 2018 this year.”
Burrell said that he has plans to return to Utah in the fall for a game and again on an official visit, but that his first trip out made a lasting impression.
“It was good,” he said. “The campus was great, the coaches were great and the campus was amazing. I feel like it’s home; the place is beautiful and the coaches treat you like you’re family. The players welcome you with open arms and I feel like you can learn some things pretty quick from the coaches out there.”
Hogan, who also holds offers from Illinois and Memphis, wasn’t quite as descriptive, but still complimentary of his experience out west.
“I loved the visit to Utah, it’s a nice school,” he said. “I really liked the players and the environment out there.”
Both met with current and prospective players at the camp to get a sense for the direction of the program, and Burrell in particular left with a positive feeling for what’s on the horizon for the team.
“I met a few players that had committed out there that went to the camp,” he said. “They told me some things that they had planned going on in the 2018 class and how they’re planning on going on to win a national championship.”
Hogan said that he feels Oregon and Texas have started showing more interest in him, and he has plans to camp at Baylor later this month. Meanwhile, Burrell is fine with where things stand with the Utes, and while he’s hopeful more teams will show some serious interest in him this fall, he’s comfortable with his lone offer.
“Utah’s got my eye right now,” he said. “The coaches are just great. They treat you just like the ones that I have in high school. If I went to Utah, I would feel like I was just starting at Lamar all over again.”