Austin Burton talks Tom Brady, trick pass, pandemic workouts and more
MORE: UCLA grad transfer QB Austin Burton brings veteran arm to Purdue | Austin Burton honed skills at M2 QB Academy in Massachusetts
Growing up the son of Boston sportscaster Steve Burton has its perks. For Purdue quarterback Austin Burton, it allowed him to get to know Tom Brady.
“Growing up in Boston, you're always gonna be a huge Tom Brady fan,” said Burton, a grad transfer from UCLA. “Since I was young, I’ve been able to witness him win six (Super Bowl) rings. I’ve always had a huge passion for how Tom Brady goes about his work.
Burton has had opportunities to meet Brady on a few occasions.
"I've had a couple chances to be able to meet him and throw a football around with him," said Burton. "I remember when I was young, I was able to go to a field, he was running this charity event called Best Buddies, I believe, and my dad was reporting on it. I was able to meet him after the game and we just tossed the ball back and forth and it was cool. It was awesome to meet him and kinda start to build a relationship with him over the past couple years, as well."
At UCLA, Burton’s career never got on track. Last year, he was behind Dorian Thompson-Robinson who is the future of the Bruins’ program under Chip Kelly.
“He runs when he needs to run, he throws when he needs to throw,” said Rick Kimbrel of BruinBlitz.com, rivals UCLA site. “Really intelligent.”
Burton saw action in five games in 2019, hitting 44-of-64 passes (68.8 percent) for 365 yards with one touchdown. And he ran 23 times for 100 yards (4.3 ypc) with a TD. He made one start, completing 27-of-41 passes for 236 yards in a 48-31 loss vs. Oregon State on October 5. Burton redshirted in 2017 and didn't play in 2018.
Burton arrived in Westwood as part of Jim Mora, Jr.’s final recruiting class. He was a Rivals.com three-star prospect from West Orange High in Newton, Mass.
Burton’s father Steve played quarterback at Northwestern (1982-84). Burton is a sports anchor and reporter for WBZ-TV News on WBZ-TV and on sister station myTV38 in Boston.
Austin Burton’s grandfather Ron was the first ever draft pick of the Boston Patriots in 1960 and is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame after a record-setting career as a running back at Northwestern. On top of that, Austin Burton's sister Veronica plays basketball at Northwestern.
Burton is back in Los Angeles for the moment, finishing up school. He plans to be complete in July, then will come to West Lafayette and battle for the quarterback job with two years of eligibility.
"Absolutely," he said.
A trick pass by a buddy's pool was a recent hit on the Internet. Check it out below.
For more with Burton, watch GoldandBlack.com's Zoom interview at the top of the story.
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