Husky Roster Review: Another Burton Tries to Make His Way at UW

Originally posted on Washington Huskies on SI
By Dan Raley | Last updated Jun 21, 2025 11:41 AM ET

It was spring practice No. 10, on a Tuesday, on a sunny day on the East field, when Jace Burton had his big University of Washington football moment.

On the final play of the day, the 5-foot-10, 165-pound redshirt freshman wide receiver -- the son of Nigel Burton, the once highly decorated Husky defensive back and team captain, and ex-Portland State head coach -- came up with a difficult, diving 15-yard catch in the end zone.

After playing in virtual anonymity for three weeks, Burton beat Florida International transfer CJ Christian to the football and was smothered by the entire UW offense, with players even coming off the sideline to celebrate wildly and treat him like a hero

He's a walk-on, trying to make his way in his father's shadow, and a moment like that keeps the dream alive.

This is one in a series of articles -- going from 0 to 99 on the Husky roster -- examining what each scholarship player and leading walk-on did this past spring and what to expect from them going forward.

With Carson Bruener off to chase an NFL job, Burton is one of just two legacy players on the roster, but the only one who's taken part in a UW practice. Incoming freshman running back Ryken Moon, Warren Moon's son, will join the team for fall camp.

That touchdown pass seemed to open things up for Burton going forward. In three ensuing practices, he caught balls of 20, 5 and 11 yards, all from Kai Horton, and closed out the Spring Game with a 9-yard grab of a Shea Kuykendall pass.

Young Burton looked athletic enough at times, but he's in a position group filled with highly decorated receivers on scholarship, not unlike what his father Nigel was a couple of decades earlier.

JACE BURTON FILE:

What he's done: Burton came to the UW from Portland's Jesuit High School, where he was teammates with fellow Husky redshirt freshman Elias Johnson, a defensive back. The difference is Johnson has a scholarship and Burton does not. He redshirted during the 2024 season, same as Johnson.

Starter or not: Long odds. You've got to have that scholarship, or else you're fighting an impossible battle. Burton might have been better served going to someplace such as Portland State, where his father coached for five seasons through 2014 and had seasons of 2-9, 7-4, 3-8, 6-6 and 3-9 and unfortunately was fired. Nigel Burton was a Pac-12 broadcaster until the conference broke up. Jace Burton presses on.

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This article first appeared on Washington Huskies on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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