Completed Event: Football versus Michigan on September 6, 2025 , Win , 24, to, 13
Final
Football
24
vs Michigan
13
University of Oklahoma Athletics
Photo by: Brendall Vargas/University of Oklahoma
Burks Named Semifinalist for Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year
October 14, 2025 | Football
NORMAN — University of Oklahoma redshirt senior wide receiver Deion Burks has been named a semifinalist for the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year award, it was announced Tuesday. The award focuses primarily on players' leadership on and off the field.
A product of Inkster, Mich., Burks has started all 11 games in which he has played at OU, totaling 61 receptions for 584 yards and five touchdowns over the last two seasons. His 31 catches last season set a school record for most receptions in the first five games of an OU career. This season, he is tied for the team lead with 30 catches, totaling 339 yards and two touchdowns.
For each of the last two seasons, Burks has pledged to donate $50 for each of his receptions to Rob's Ranch, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping people with drug and alcohol addiction, and has organized various local businesses and individuals to participate in the pledged donation. To date, Burks has donated $3,050 himself for his 61 catches over his 11 games played with Oklahoma and has helped raise more than $28,000 for Rob's Ranch through his pledge campaign.
A competitive athlete who brings humor and a positive attitude to those around him, Burks sets himself apart in the way he carries himself and brings others together. From his genuine interactions with teammates to organizing offseason bowling outings, Burks' magnetism plays a large role in the feeling of brotherhood in the locker room.
Burks sustained an injury during the team's fourth contest against Tennessee last season. He returned six games later at Missouri, but sustained another injury, missing the final three games of the season. He learned after the Missouri game that his family's home in Michigan caught fire that same night. Despite his personal setbacks, Burks maintained a positive attitude throughout his recovery process and worked hard to rehabilitate his injuries to return to the field this season.
In addition to his Rob's Ranch campaign, Burks and his teammates worked with 111 Project to pack and deliver 200 50-pound bags of supplies for foster families in the Norman area during one of the team's open weeks last season, and he visited a local group home to mentor some of the youth living there. During OU's September bye week this season, Burks and his teammates teamed with the Beacon Project to assemble care packages of school supplies and clothes for children in the local community. In January 2024, he and teammates packed more than 40,000 meals to be sent to people in need in Haiti, and this January, he and teammates held a free football clinic for area youth. He has also visited a local elementary school, interacting with students and handing out signed footballs.
Three finalists for the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year award will be named on Dec. 16, and the winner will be announced on April 16, 2026, during the award ceremony in Frisco, Texas. The winner of the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year award will also receive a $10,000 contribution in his name to his school's athletic scholarship fund. The contribution will be made by Jason Witten's SCORE Foundation, the official charity of Jason and his wife Michelle.
No. 14/13 Oklahoma (5-1, 1-1 SEC) travels to Columbia, S.C., to face South Carolina (3-3, 1-3 SEC) on Saturday at Williams-Brice Stadium. Kickoff is set for 11:45 a.m. CT on SEC Network.
A product of Inkster, Mich., Burks has started all 11 games in which he has played at OU, totaling 61 receptions for 584 yards and five touchdowns over the last two seasons. His 31 catches last season set a school record for most receptions in the first five games of an OU career. This season, he is tied for the team lead with 30 catches, totaling 339 yards and two touchdowns.
For each of the last two seasons, Burks has pledged to donate $50 for each of his receptions to Rob's Ranch, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping people with drug and alcohol addiction, and has organized various local businesses and individuals to participate in the pledged donation. To date, Burks has donated $3,050 himself for his 61 catches over his 11 games played with Oklahoma and has helped raise more than $28,000 for Rob's Ranch through his pledge campaign.
A competitive athlete who brings humor and a positive attitude to those around him, Burks sets himself apart in the way he carries himself and brings others together. From his genuine interactions with teammates to organizing offseason bowling outings, Burks' magnetism plays a large role in the feeling of brotherhood in the locker room.
Burks sustained an injury during the team's fourth contest against Tennessee last season. He returned six games later at Missouri, but sustained another injury, missing the final three games of the season. He learned after the Missouri game that his family's home in Michigan caught fire that same night. Despite his personal setbacks, Burks maintained a positive attitude throughout his recovery process and worked hard to rehabilitate his injuries to return to the field this season.
In addition to his Rob's Ranch campaign, Burks and his teammates worked with 111 Project to pack and deliver 200 50-pound bags of supplies for foster families in the Norman area during one of the team's open weeks last season, and he visited a local group home to mentor some of the youth living there. During OU's September bye week this season, Burks and his teammates teamed with the Beacon Project to assemble care packages of school supplies and clothes for children in the local community. In January 2024, he and teammates packed more than 40,000 meals to be sent to people in need in Haiti, and this January, he and teammates held a free football clinic for area youth. He has also visited a local elementary school, interacting with students and handing out signed footballs.
Three finalists for the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year award will be named on Dec. 16, and the winner will be announced on April 16, 2026, during the award ceremony in Frisco, Texas. The winner of the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year award will also receive a $10,000 contribution in his name to his school's athletic scholarship fund. The contribution will be made by Jason Witten's SCORE Foundation, the official charity of Jason and his wife Michelle.
No. 14/13 Oklahoma (5-1, 1-1 SEC) travels to Columbia, S.C., to face South Carolina (3-3, 1-3 SEC) on Saturday at Williams-Brice Stadium. Kickoff is set for 11:45 a.m. CT on SEC Network.
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