| School | Tennessee Volunteers |
|---|---|
| Currentposition | Safety |
| Class | Senior |
| Heightft | 6 |
| Heightin | 0 |
| Weight lb | 200 |
| Highschool | Maryville (Maryville, Tennessee) |
| Pastschools |
|
| Espn | 4870146 |
DJ Burks is an American college football safety for the Tennessee Volunteers. He previously played for the Appalachian State Mountaineers.
Early life
Burks attended Maryville High School where he helped the Rebels to a 53-4 record over four seasons including a 6-A state championship in 2019.[1] He played as both a wide receiver and defensive back.[2] At Maryville, Burks was a three-year starter, recording 184 tackles and tying the program record for career interceptions with 15.[3] On offense, he accrued 53 receptions for 767 yards and fourteen receiving and rushing touchdowns.[4]
On July 2, 2021, Burks committed to play college football for Appalachian State.[5] On December 15, 2021, Burks officially signed with the Mountaineers.[4]
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College career
Appalachian State
Burks redshirted his true freshman season after appearing in two games. The following year he appeared in every game, but spent most of his time on special teams. In 2024, Burks moved into a role as a starting safety for seven of the eleven games he appeared in for the Mountaineers.[3] Burks finished the 2025 season with the Mountaineers with 73 tackles, good for third on the team.[1] He also contributed five pass break-ups, two interceptions, and two forced fumbles.[6]
On December 15, 2025, Burks announced his intention to enter the transfer portal.[1][7]
Tennessee
On January 17, 2026, Burks committed to transfer to Tennessee.[8]
College stats
| Year | Team | GP | Tackles | Interceptions | Fumbles | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solo | Ast | Cmb | TfL | Sck | Int | Yds | Avg | TD | PD | FR | FF | TD | |||
| 2022 | Appalachian State | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | Appalachian State | 14 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | Appalachian State | 11 | 29 | 29 | 58 | 3.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | Appalachian State | 13 | 34 | 39 | 73 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 2 | 25 | 12.5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Career[9] | 40 | 63 | 70 | 144 | 4.0 | 0.0 | 2 | 25 | 12.5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
References
- ^ Sylvia, Ryan (December 19, 2025). "Veteran Safety With East Tennessee Ties Intends to Enter Transfer Portal". Rocky Top Insider. Retrieved December 19, 2025.
- ^ "BALLHAWKING DJ BURKS COMMITS TO APP STATE". 247Sports. Retrieved December 19, 2025.
- ^ "DJ Burks - Football". App State Athletics. Retrieved December 19, 2025.
- ^ Provost-Heron, Troy (December 15, 2021). "Maryville's DJ Burks bringing unmatched football IQ to Appalachian State". The Daily Times. Retrieved December 19, 2025.
- ^ Rosa, Francisco. "Maryville defensive back DJ Burks commits to Appalachian State". Knoxville News Sentinel. Retrieved December 19, 2025.
- ^ "2025 Football Cumulative Statistics". App State Athletics. Retrieved January 7, 2026.
- ^ "DJ Burks Timeline Events". 247sports.com. Retrieved December 19, 2025.
- ^ Cain, Eric (January 17, 2026). "What the transfer portal commitment of DJ Burks means for Tennessee". Volquest. Retrieved January 18, 2026.
- ^ "DJ Burks College Stats, School, Draft, Gamelog, Splits". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved December 19, 2025.