Sam Burt stuck with Kansas football, and his career finale will be the Liberty Bowl

LAWRENCE — As Kansas’ football players were officially told Sunday that they would play in the Liberty Bowl, Sam Burt couldn’t exactly see the immediate reactions of many of his teammates.

Sat in a seat in the front row of the room they were all in, Burt didn’t have the best vantage point on all of that. The super-senior defensive lineman had super-senior offensive lineman Earl Bostick Jr. to his right, and junior quarterback Jalon Daniels to his left. For a bit, all Burt had to go on to tell how excited his teammates were was what he could see in his periphery and how loud everyone clapped their hands.

But later on that day, as Burt reflected on learning the Jayhawks would face the Arkansas Razorbacks on Dec. 28 in Memphis, just how excited everyone was began to sink in more. How excited Burt was himself did, too. Because for the first time since 2008, and therefore for the first time in Burt’s career at Kansas, the Jayhawks are heading to a bowl game.

“It’s a huge relief,” Burt said. “It’s a huge, just, breath of fresh air, I guess … Obviously that’s been the goal the entire time. But to have, like, stuck it out and kind of endured some dry, obviously some dry, seasons, and things like that, and just kind of finished it to the end. And having this be the way to end it, is just a huge blessing.”

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Burt first joined Kansas ahead of the 2017 season, and appeared in the majority of the games the Jayhawks played each year outside of 2021. Last season, an injury played a role in him ultimately redshirting so he could return in 2022. This season, he’s started all 12 games so far.

Although Burt hasn’t been one to stuff the stat sheet, it’s not as if that’s the only way one can measure the value he’s had for Kansas. There’s also the degree to which he’s contributed as a leader. The latter has earned him a great deal of praise in recent months.

Once a walk-on, Burt developed to the point he’d earned a scholarship. He also became a captain. An in-state talent out of Abilene, Kansas, it’s his love for the university and his team that’s become all the more apparent as the final chapters in his Jayhawks career have been written and the date and location for his last game were revealed.

“You know you’re bowl eligible, but you just don’t know who and when,” Burt said. “And there’s speculation thrown out. And you could go to this bowl, up against this person, or something like that. … It’s been a big topic piece through the week. And obviously we’ve had a couple practices and it’s just weird to practice with, like, no one in mind at this point in the season.”

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Burt and his teammates will learn more about Arkansas (6-6, 3-5 in Southeastern Conference) and what the Razorbacks are capable of in the days and weeks ahead. Kansas (6-6, 3-6 in Big 12 Conference) will also have the opportunity to get healthy as a team at a level it probably hasn’t reached for some time, as the grind of the season wore on. Burt himself is someone who’s gotten banged up at times, even if he hasn’t missed a game.

Burt is also intrigued by the opportunity to play against an SEC opponent. The strength of that conference isn’t lost on him. Sam Pittman, the Razorbacks’ head coach, is in the early years of his attempt to build a consistent winner just like head coach Lance Leipold is with the Jayhawks.

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

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Sam Burt stuck with Kansas football, and will now enjoy a bowl game