Bill Belichick's UNC QB commit lands coveted 4th star in updated rankings

Just a week after UNC quarterback commit Travis Burgess turned heads with an impressive performance at the Elite 11 QB showcase, the 6-5, 200-pound prospect from Loganville, Ga. earned his fourth-star from 247Sports.

Burgess made his verbal pledge to the Tar Heels in late May, choosing UNC over Auburn and Wisconsin. He is the offensive leader for one of the top prep football programs in the nation and led Grayson High to a 14-1 record and a state championship in his first season as a starter.

247Sports now has Burgess as the 16th-best quarterback prospect in the nation with a grade of 90. On the composite rankings, Burgess is still a three-star prospect, but that could also change if Burgess gets another boost when On3 and Rivals update their rankings.

As a junior, Burgess threw for 2,255 yards and 23 touchdowns with just four interceptions. He also showed his mobility, rushing for 596 yards and four touchdowns according to MaxPreps. Keith Barefield, the offensive coordinator at Grayson, said that Burgess is just beginning to scratch the surface of his ability.

"We saw early on he had or could easily develop all the tangible tools you need in a quarterback," Barefield said. "The senior we had that year, Jeff Davis, was definitely the guy for the job, but we were licking our chops thinking 'we got one'. As a matter of fact, our head coach, Santavious Bryant, was calling around schools telling everybody he's going to be a top ten guy."

Barefield believes that Burgess being a backup for his sophomore year allowed him to learn about leadership while continuing to compete and push for playing time in practice. Once he was able to take over as a junior, Burgess proved to be ready for the role.

"Really the biggest question mark early on was: 'Is he going to take over the mental part of the game?" Barefield said. "And he stepped right in...the kid doesn't know a challenge that he's afraid to do. That's kind of the separator in my eyes. He's not afraid to jump in and see what he can do. He's not afraid to fail, which a lot of quarterbacks, players, kids and grown adults are."

Travis Burgess' focus on winning proved to be the deciding factor in his recruitment

Barefield said that Burgess' recruitment was a little slow to start because he didn't have any sophomore film, but the coach assured him that if he kept winning ball games, the college coaches couldn't ignore him. By the time he took Grayson to the state championship, his recruitment had grown significantly.

"The coaches that saw him throw in January saw how much he improved from where he was a year ago," Barefield said. "And I'll tell you this: If those same coaches saw him now, they would think he's that much better than he was in January. It's a credit to his work ethic and his belief that he can get better every day."