BY DAVE LINK
West senior Antwain Burdine has a hard time picking his favorite position in football.
He’s got plenty of choices.
Defensive back. Receiver. Special teams.
He played them all for the Rebels.
“I would say whenever I have the ball in my hands,” Burdine said of his favored position. “I also like defense because I like hitting.”
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West coach Lamar Brown took full advantage of Burdine during his four years with the Rebels.
When he joined the team in 2021, Burdine landed a spot in the starting lineup in the defensive secondary. His roles continued to grow as he grew.
“Antwain was our starting nickel back as a little freshman running out there,” Brown said. “When he got here early on as a freshman, it didn’t take long to figure out that he was a kid that loved to compete and was going to work his butt off every day to be the best he could be.”
Four years after arriving at West, Burdine is the 5Star Preps Defensive Player of the Year and a college prospect.
He signed Wednesday with the University of Charleston.
“I’m very excited to get to play at the next level,” Burdine said Jan. 29. “It’s a true blessing, and I’m very grateful for it.”
Brown was grateful for having Burdine on his team.
“Antwain is such a competitor,” Brown said. “I can’t think of anybody more deserving of this honor than him.”
Burdine was a fixture on one of the top Class 5A teams in the state.
During Burdine’s career, the Rebels reached the state semifinals his freshman year (2021), won state championships the next two years (2022-23), and reached the state quarterfinals last season.
The Rebels went 49-8 during his four years.
“Antwain is a fast, tough kid, can run, physical tackler, and physical getting off blocks,” Brown said. “He was the leader of our defense. He started both ways, was on about every special team there was, hardly ever came off the field.”
Burdine had 866 yards on punt and kickoff returns in 2024 and piled up the stats on offense and defense.
His nine interceptions this past fall broke a single-season school record.
“The picks record, it just started coming because of the playoffs,” Burdine said. “We start listing accolades we accomplished as a team, but Coach Brown let me know I was second every day (in the interception record list).”
Burdine finished fourth on the team in total tackles (76) last season and had five tackles for loss.
He was second on the team in receiving yards (258) and catches (24) and had one touchdown catch. He had 13 carries for 70 yards (5.4-yard average) with one rushing touchdown.
Burdine (5-9, 160 pounds) also had an interception return for touchdown, a punt return for touchdown, and a kickoff return for touchdown. He averaged 20.9 yards on 14 punt returns and 30.2 yards on 19 kickoff returns.
“This year he probably played more safety than he did corner at times,” Brown said. “Even though he’s got a small frame, he was our best tackler, hardly ever missed a tackle, so we played him a lot at safety and could insert him into the run game. He had an unbelievable year.”
Burdine isn’t letting up as his college career approaches.
He’s on a workout routine while taking senior classes.
“Right now, I’m just trying to get stronger and bigger,” he said.
Brown believes Burdine will find his way on the field next fall. Like he did at West.
“I think most schools are recruiting him as a defensive back,” Brown said, “probably corner, and also as a return specialist.”
5SP DEFENSIVE POYS
2024 — Antwain Burdine, West, DB
2023 — Ryan Scott, West, LB
2022 — Ryan Scott, West, LB
2021 — Walter Nolen, Powell, DL
2020 — Grey Carroll, Alcoa, DL
2019 — Kalib Fortner, Central, LB
2018 — Xavier Washington, Central, DB
2024 All-5Star Preps Football Teams, presented by Jeremy Cox/Thrivent Financial