L'Gazzy Burfict
 Rutgers star L'Gazzy Burfict | |
| No. 55 – Retired | |
|---|---|
| Position: | Linebacker |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | June 23, 2018 (aged 42) Shubuta, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Height: | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
| Weight: | 255 lb (116 kg) |
| Username: | Y2Bobman |
| Career information | |
| High school: | Wayne County |
| College: | Rutgers |
| DSFL Draft: | 2039 / Round: 10 / Pick: 77 |
| Career history | |
| Roster status: | Retired |
L'Gazzy Burfict (born June 23, 2018) was an American football linebacker for the London Royals of the Developmental Simulation Football League (DSFL). He played college football for Rutgers.
Contents
Early years
Burfict was born in Shubuta, Mississippi on June 23, 2018, four minutes after his fraternal twin sister LaFawduh. His father Dion was a state 100m track star during his youth, once beating future Olympic Gold medalist Calvin Smith in the 12th Grade. L'Gazzy attended Wayne County High School where he started for three years for the War Eagles; predominently as LB but often helping out on Special Teams.
In his senior year Burfict led the War Eagles with 120 tackles, four quarterback sacks, one fumble recovery and an interception leading to a Pick 6 in a game at Purdue. He was a mainstay of the 12-0 War Eagles team who defeated the Natchez Bulldogs 6-3 at the Mississippi State Championship; a game in which the hotly tipped Tayshawn Crunk won MVP.
College career
Burfict committed to play college football at Rutgers after turning down an approach from his local Mississippi State in a move which shocked the coaching staff at Wayne County. He stated that he wanted to make a name for himself out East so it seemed the perfect fit. As a true freshman Burfict made 98 tackles, six tackles for loss, four sacks, nine pass deflections and two interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown. His reputation as a hard-hitter started here as forced five fumbles, recovering four and taking one of these into the end zone.
As a sophomore Burficts registered 102 tackles, nine tackles for loss, five sacks, five pass deflections, one interception, seven forced fumbles (four of which were in the standout perforce of the season at Indiana), taking two for touchdowns. With performances like the one in Indiana and registering 17 tackles vs Illinois, Burfict was starting to get a little media attention as a solid prospect.
Burfict went into his junior year after spending time back home, working on his speed with father Dion. His extra effort in the offseason paid off as he drew plaudits with career-high numbers across the field. 125 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, 9 sacks, seven pass deflections, two interceptions, six forced fumbles, three recovered and one touchdown. These numbers led to him being shortlisted for the Butkus Award.
Burfict finished his collegiate career with 325 tackles, 27 tackles for loss, 18 sacks, 21 pass deflections, five interceptions, 18 forced fumbles, 9 fumbles recovered and five defensive touchdowns.
On 2 February 2039 Burfict made his future intentions clear by declaring himself for the DSFL draft, hoping to make his way up to the ISFL.
College career statistics
| Career statistics | Defense | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | Games | Tck | TFL | FF/FR | Sck | Int | PD | Sfty | TD | Blk P/XP/FG |
| 2036 | Rutgers | 10 | 98 | 6 | 5/4 | 4 | 2 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 0/0/0 |
| 2037 | Rutgers | 12 | 102 | 9 | 7/2 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0/0/0 |
| 2038 | Rutgers | 12 | 125 | 12 | 6/3 | 9 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0/0/0 |
DSFL career
Season 24
L’Gazzy Burfict was selected in the 10th round as the 77th pick for the London Royals. Upon drafting Burfict the Royals GM made a point to saying they had tried their upmost to trade up to secure him in the roster so were pleased that he’d still fallen to them. Burfict would join the ranks as the number three ranked LB in the roster, behind the experienced duo of Juan Domine and Busch Light.
Burfict started brightly in a mixed pre-season for the Royals where they went 2-2. He managed 38 tackles during this period, stamping his mark from the off. Making his professional debut against the Minnesota Grey Ducks in week 1, Burfict managed six tackles in the narrow 24-21 victory. The Royals lost in weeks 2 and 3 against the Portland Pythons and Myrtle Beach Buccaneers respectively, Burfict averaging seven tackles per game and picking up his first professional sack on Owen Holloway. Week 4 saw the Royals shut out the Dallas Birddogs in a 31-0 victory but it was a disappointing outing for Burfict who only managed two tackles and a sack. Burfict let this display knock his confidence and averaged only 4.5 tackles a game in weeks 5-8, corresponding with mixed form for the Royals.
After a call home to father Dion, Burfict got his head straight and made a brave decision play to his natural strength; speed. Reinventing himself as a Speed Rusher he immediately saw the rewards as he was awarded DPotW for London in their narrow loss to the Pythons, coming away with six tackles, one sack and a forced fumble. The momentum continued for Burfict as the Royals marched to post-season with a run of four wins in five, the highlight coming in week 11 with his 2nd DPotW award for registering 10 tackles and sack against the Norfolk Seawolves.
In the NFC Championship game the Royals would face a Pythons team who had beaten them three times already. A momentous team performance restricted Portland to a solitary field goal in a 22-3 victory in front of a sell-out crowd in London.
The Royals then faced the Seawolves for the Ultimini, Burfict hitting a sack in the opening minutes and registering four of his five tackles in the opening half. A superb fourth quarter performance at both ends of the field led the Royals to victory, 24-17.
DSFL Career Statistics
| Regular Season | Defense | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | Games | Tck | TFL | FF/FR | Sck | Int | PD | Sfty | TD | Blk P/XP/FG |
| 2039 (S24) | Royals | 14 | 72 | 1 | 1/0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0/0/0 |
| Postseason | Defense | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | Games | Tck | TFL | FF/FR | Sck | Int | PD | Sfty | TD | Blk P/XP/FG |
| 2039 (S24) | Royals | 2 | 7 | 0 | 0/0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0/0 |
ISFL career
| Ht | Wt | 40‑yd dash | 20‑ss | 3‑cone | Vert jump | Broad | BP | Wonderlic |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
255 lb (116 kg) |
4.32 s | 4.25 s | 7.35 s | 32.6 in (0.83 m) |
10 ft 8.5 in (3.26 m) |
36 reps | 20 |
Achievements and records
Team
- Ultimini Champion (1): 2039 (S24)
