Let's hope Deion Burks has some rewards points from Chipotle as much as the Purdue wide receiver frequents the restaurant. Six days a week to be exact, ordering the same thing each time. Double rice, double chicken.
It's a near daily ritual that Burks began in January. He was already eating the same meal over and over again, but simply got tired of doing his dishes.
"I started that thing in January," Burks said on Tuesday. "We used to always cook, so I used to always cook but I got tired of just cleaning up my dishes. I'm like, man, there's some better solutions. They probably got the same rice and same chicken and I just started going to Chipotle and then I was getting double rice, double chicken. I'm like, 'Okay, I could do this' and it was just getting better and better every day and I'm like this is my routine now."
The Chipotle-centric diet is just a small part of what Deion Burks has done to transform his body as a redshirt sophomore with the Boilermakers. Burks has taken a more serious approach when it comes to looking after his body than in years prior.
"I'm really investing a lot into my body so I can be the best me on Saturdays," Burks said.
The breakout pass catcher credits getting two massages a week, the cold tub becoming his "best friend" and consistently getting 7-8 hours of sleep as reasons he's been able to keep his body at peak performance this season.
Head coach Ryan Walters has called his top receiver, who is the fastest player on the team, a "freak" on multiple occasions with his electric speed and athleticism on full display each and every time he steps on the field. Offensive coordinator Graham Harrell agrees, claiming that Burks has all the tools to be special in West Lafayette.
"He has an elite skill set. I just think he'll continue to improve as time goes and he has a chance to be a really special receiver," Harrell said.
It didn't take long for Burks to show just how special he could be with the Boilermakers. On the first drive of the season, the lightning in a bottle receiver caught a quick slant and after bouncing off several Fresno State defenders, took it 84 yards for the first touchdown of the year.
Burks would add nearly 70 more yards to his total that day, including another touchdown reception and a 44 yard connection with quarterback Hudson Card. In just one game, he eclipsed his yardage total from a year ago. The 152-yard, two touchdown outburst was the type of production Burks expected out of himself and thinks his teammates did too.
"It definitely is and I'm pretty sure everybody else that was on the field expected it too. They've seen all the work I put in so they knew something was good to come, so after that, that was like a breath of relief like yeah I knew I could do that but I just got to keep doing it," Burks said.
After his breakout performance in week one, Burks became a priority for defenses and saw his production take a step back in the weeks following. He was limited to five catches for 69 yards over the next two games against Virginia Tech and Syracuse. Drawing the attention of opposing defensive coordinators left Burks frustrated, but it just meant he was doing something right.
"At times but all the good receivers had it before so it's like I know I'm doing something good," Burks said last week. "If I want to be great, I gotta get past that and still make plays with more eyes on me."
Teams game planning for him also forced Burks to continue evolving his game and become more well rounded as a receiver.
"I feel like I'm getting way more comfortable. I'm picking up on the defense quicker. I'm reading the defense," Burks said. "So, I definitely feel like I'm getting more comfortable and then I know when it's coming and stuff like that."
Since then, the explosive pass catcher has regained his footing and turned in performances of 73 and 83 yards respectively, while adding a touchdown reception in Purdue's win over Illinois on Saturday. Burks has been one of Hudson Card's top targets in 2023, which has vaulted him to the top of the Big Ten leader boards.
Burks now sits second in the conference with 377 receiving yards and tied for second with four touchdown catches on the season. The redshirt sophomore is also sixth in receptions (20) and fifth in average yards per catch (18.9).
The scary part for the rest of the Big Ten is that Burks is still improving. When Graham Harrell first got to West Lafayette, he saw an uber-talented athlete that had yet to master the art of route running and intricacies of what it takes to be an elite pass catcher.
"He's so fast and so explosive, in the beginning I think he rushed a lot of things. I mean instead of playing with technique or playing with any savviness, it was just as fast as I can go and sometimes when you go as fast you can go, you're there before the quarterback wants you to be there," Harrell said.
The Purdue offensive coordinator has seen progress in those areas from January until now, which has resulted in quality production on the field for the Boilermakers this fall.
"I think he's starting to figure out understanding how to set things up, set up routes, timings of plays, when he needs to get to where he needs to be. So, setting things up and then playing with explosiveness when he needs to be explosive and so I think he continues to get better at that," Harrell said. "The more reps he gets at it and the more he starts to understand that receiver position, the better and better and more productive and more productive you'll see him be."
Burks doesn't want to be viewed as that gadget guy who simply relies on his athleticism to produce on Saturdays. Being a technician when it comes to route running and getting himself open at the top of the redshirt sophomore's to-do list throughout the year.
"I want to be looked at as a receiver, not just a speed guy. So I want to be there when the right read and I want to just be a technician within myself to know when to use my speed and when to tempo and stuff like that," Burks said.
The newfound success and breakout 2023 campaign also has Burks taking a look at what the future may hold, which could very well be the NFL if his current trajectory stays on course. That goal of playing on Sundays makes mastering his craft an even bigger focus moving forward.
"I gotta be a receiver at the next level. So can't just use speed. Everybody's fast for the next level, so I'm just trying to find different ways to manipulate myself and just get open and get to the ball," Burks said.
For now though, Burks will continue being the source of explosive plays for the Purdue offense, which has finally found its groove as the halfway mark of the regular season approaches.
