'He is providing exactly what we need': Sarkisian gushes about senior pass rusher

It's no secret that the Longhorns have one of the top defenses in all of college football right now, and Senior EDGE Ethan Burke has continued to be a big reason as to why in 2025.

He's been able to effectively man that strongside defensive end spot opposite Colin Simmons, being a force to be reckoned with against both the run and pass. Despite being "only" 260 pounds, he's been able to hold the edge and anchor down when facing bigger offensive linemen on a consistent basis against multiple offensive schemes.

Burke can really pop pulling guards in the power game and can sit and redirect blockers against zone.

Steve Sarkisian had some great things to say about Burke in his most recent media session:

"I'm really proud of Ethan. He had a great offseason for us. He had a great spring ball and summer. One of the areas that can go a little unnoticed because we always want to look at production is his leadership has been fantastic. That guy has grown up a ton in our program. I'm really happy for him that he's getting the production now the last few weeks. He was banged up pretty good there over a month ago and we were getting a really scaled down version of Ethan Burke. Now that he's gotten healthy, he is providing exactly what we need on that strong side to be the player that he is."

Burke has been the ultimate team player in 2025 as well, playing anywhere that he's needed. He's lined up both inside and out, showcasing his versatility and ability to create mismatches on the interior on obvious passing downs.

As Sarkisian mentioned in the quote, he's also the leader in the defensive line room. Burke's played a lot of football for the University of Texas since 2022, earning All-Conference honors as a sophomore in 2023.

Heading into week 12 against Georgia this weekend, he's totaled 25 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, 3 sacks, and 1 forced fumble against Mississippi State.

Texas DC Pete Kwiatkowski is pushing Burke to continue being an effective player and great leader for the defense each and every week.