JENSEN BEACH, Fla. — A young man from the Midwest with South Florida roots describes how Andrew Burnette moved from Michigan around the age of 12 and found home on the football field in Martin County.
"I played football my whole life, and I can say football is a little harder in Florida than it is in Michigan," said Burnette.
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While football was his first sport, during his high school days at Jensen Beach High School, he fell in love with takedowns and pins.
"I wasn't zoned for that school, but I went there for wrestling originally; that was my first passion," said Burnette.
While he was doing well in wrestling, football kept calling to him.
"Moving through high school, I knew football was what I wanted to do," said Burnette.
He established himself as a force at Jensen Beach High School, but he didn't receive much interest from college football programs, similar to many Treasure Coast football recruits.
"One of my main struggles was recruitment out of high school, because I felt like our area was a little under-recruited," said Burnette.
Betting on himself, he decided to play at Highland Community College in Kansas.
Burnette played in nine games and rushed for 340 yards and two touchdowns, but he still wasn't on any other college football program's radar.
"I transferred to Independence Junior College, and I was cut from the team," said Burnette.
Independence was featured on the hit Netflix show Last Chance U, but once his chance there was short-lived, he reached out to Keiser University in West Palm Beach.
"I spoke with the coach there and told him, 'You guys offered me in high school,' and he said, 'I don't really remember. Send me your film.' He saw my film and said, 'Hey, bring it,'" said Burnette.
And he did "bring it." In the two years he played at Keiser, he rushed for over 2,300 yards and 30 touchdowns.
With stats like that, Division I programs finally came calling, starting with Louisiana Tech.
"Last year I played there; it was my first year at the Division I level, and then my eligibility ran out," said Burnette.
At the time, the NCAA granted student-athletes only four years of eligibility unless they were injured, so Burnette rolled up his sleeves and got to work.
"I called my dad and told him, 'Hey, I need to do something. I can't just sit here,' so I went and worked with my dad in Michigan," said Burnette.
He worked with his dad at a steel mill in Detroit for a few months, but this summer the NCAA announced the 5-in-5 rule, meaning student-athletes can compete for up to five seasons across a continuous five-year period.
So he hired a lawyer and went to court with the NCAA to get his final year of eligibility, and they granted him one last year, and now he's making the most of it.
"It was amazing; I would rather play football than do anything, and for me to have this opportunity again, it's a blessing," said Burnette.
