Four-star safety Marvin Burks Jr. flipped from Ole Miss to Missouri on Dec. 4, strengthening the 2023 recruiting class as the fifth four-star, according to 247 Sports. Burks showed initial interest in staying home to play for Missouri, but verbally committed to Mississippi on Oct. 21. He also received offers from programs such as LSU, Oklahoma, and Texas A&M.

Coming in as the third highest-rated recruit in the 2023 MU recruiting class, expectations are high for Burks. He comes out of Cardinal Ritter College Prep in St. Louis, ranking as the 10th best player in Missouri and the 37th best safety in the country. In high school Burks played alongside star wideout Luther Burden III, who played a prominent role in Burks’ recruitment. His commitment also marks the sixth Missouri native to sign to the 2023 Tigers class, joining Logan Reichert, Joshua Manning and Brett Norfleet. 

Burks’ hard-hitting playing style brings some much-needed firepower and physicality to the Missouri defense. He’ll be joining a defensive back room containing veterans Martez Manuel and Kris Abrams-Draine, and his 6-foot-2, 190-pound frame allows for physical dominance over receivers. Burks will be expected to pick up the slack when the current defensive back room graduates, but if his high school production is any indication, he’ll have no problem raising the ceiling of the Tiger defense.

Burks has tallied 84 tackles, 1805 offensive yards and 30 touchdowns, playing both offense and defense in his senior year of high school. In his junior, sophomore and freshman seasons he recorded a total 340 offensive yards, four touchdowns and 75 tackles. 

His versatility and willingness to take on a large workload at the high school level gives Tiger fans a picture of what they’re getting in the newest commit. 

Edited by Brandon Haynes | bhaynes@themaneater.com

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