Burke Excited to Be Back in Lexington, Coaching at UK

New Kentucky tight ends coach Justin Burke is very familiar with the city of Lexington. Burke grew up there and was a standout quarterback at Lexington Catholic, where he was named the Gatorade Player of the Year in the Commonwealth in 2005.

So when new UK head coach Will Stein called Burke to be on his first Kentucky coaching staff, it was a no-brainer for Burke. Now he’s back home and he’s happy to be in Lexington.

“It’s been very surreal,” Burke said. “I’ve got two roommates right now and they ask me where I am after curfew. I’m living at my parents’ house right now until my family gets here. So, it feels a lot like back when I was here 20 years ago at Lexington Catholic.”

Burke fondly remembers growing up in Lexington and attending Kentucky games in what was then known as Commonwealth Stadium (now Kroger Field).

“That’s what I love about coming back here,” Burke said. “I sat in those stands, watching these teams play. So, it’s special to be back in the Commonwealth, around my friends and family. I’m excited to get my family here and just be around the guys on this team.”

Burke has made several stops in his coaching career, most recently serving as the offensive coordinator at UT-San Antonio. But he said there’s nothing like coming back to where he grew up.

“It does hit different when you come back in a place that, as a child, as a teen and as a high school player, that you grew up with and watched,” Burke said. “You watched the Tim Couchs, the Derek Abneys, the guys who have been around the program. When they talk to the team, I remember watching those guys.”

Burke is excited and proud to be coaching at Kentucky.

“There’s a different type of pride when you’re in your hometown, coaching at a premier, premier university in the entire country,” Burke said.

Burke will be coaching a group of tight ends that the staff is very high on this spring. Burke liked what he has seen from that group this spring.

“I think the biggest thing is how those guys work,” Burke said. “You watch the film and how those guys go about their business on the game field. The amount of effort that was on (the tape) was just, no question. And that’s been every single day. They go to work and, when we need them to, they bring an intensity level that I haven’t been around in a long time.”

Burke is back in Lexington and is looking forward to continuing to work with a talented group of tight ends at UK.