What Sam Burt’s decision to redshirt and return in 2022 means to some within the Kansas football program

LAWRENCE — Sam Burt’s tweet Wednesday afternoon, in which he said he’d be redshirting this season so he could return to Kansas football in 2022, didn’t break any news.

Jayhawks head coach Lance Leipold had said Tuesday that Burt, a super-senior defensive lineman, would be doing that. It was understood that Burt, who’d missed significant time this season due to what he described Wednesday as a broken arm, would be a part of the second year of Leipold’s tenure with the program as well.

What Burt’s tweet did do was reinforce publicly what Burt means internally among his teammates and coaches at Kansas. The captain and former walk-on, hurt initially in the opener against South Dakota before returning against Kansas State, is viewed as a valuable leader with the Jayhawks. Whatever happens these final three games, this won’t be the season the Abilene product dons crimson and blue on a football field.

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“That’s a great piece,” junior safety Kenny Logan Jr. said Wednesday. “Sam is a great, vocal guy, a great piece to this team. And we’re really happy that he’s going to come back and give us some more leadership next year and help mold young guys and help mold some of the older guys even more to help them grow.”

Junior linebacker Rich Miler added: “It meant a lot. It just means that we’re going to keep the experience and it’s actually people who can see that it’s going to eventually work. Maybe it’s not working this year, but we only had what, how many months together? So, he knows it’s going to work and it’s just giving me — it gives me and also other people hope that it’s people that actually want to stay here and help us win. So, that was actually a pretty cool thing.”

It took Miller a few days this summer, his first with Kansas, to understand how much of a leader Burt is viewed as by so many. Miller could see how much respect everyone shows Burt. The way Burt doesn’t have unrealistic expectations of others, and just cares about their development, is something Miller doesn’t think is possible to ignore.

Both Miller and Logan were surprised when they learned Burt would be redshirting, and coming back for another season. Based on how Miller heard Burt talk about the 2021 season back in the summer, Miller thought this could be it for Burt. Logan, happy to hear the news, found out it wouldn’t be last week.

And for defensive coordinator Brian Borland, that means he’ll have someone he views as one of the Jayhawks’ top interior defensive lineman back. Of course Borland values Burt’s leadership, but it’s clear that’s not the only benefit a healthy Burt means for Kansas in Borland’s eyes. Burt is a key member of the locker room, outwardly showcasing a belief in the Jayhawks’ trajectory despite a season in which the team’s 1-8 overall and 0-6 against the Big 12 Conference.

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“That makes me feel good because obviously he’s at an age and he’s married and he could certainly move on with his life, but it tells me that he believes in what’s going on and the direction that we’re going and how we’re doing it and he wants to be a part of changing it around,” Borland said Thursday. “… That’s … kind of a big boost for all of us because sometimes quite honestly you wonder, are we having any kind of an impact? And, what are guys thinking? And, well, there’s a guy that, yeah, very easily could just move on and yet he chose to come back for another year because he sees where it’s going to go.”

According to Leipold, Burt has been available for a couple weeks. After appearing against South Dakota, Burt could only play in three games and retain his redshirt. The first of those, as fans saw, was the Sunflower Showdown against the Wildcats on Nov. 6 in which Burt collected a pair of tackles.

Leipold said Burt wanted that game against Kansas State at home to be one of the three he played.

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What were the other two? Leipold said Burt didn’t mind. Leipold added that they’d decide as the week progressed if the game Saturday on the road at Texas would be the next.

Whatever the coaching staff decides, Burt willl have the opportunity to stare down at least another 12 next season.

Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. Contact him at jmguskey@gannett.com or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.