The four-year letter winner found a home at weak-side outside linebacker, starting at that position his last two years. A versatile athlete, Burgess also has experience at inside linebacker and was known for his contributions on special teams throughout his career.

He is the second family member to play for the Wolverines, as his cousin, Alfie Burch, competed as a cornerback for Michigan from 1991-93.

Burgess was a 2002 Riddell Footwear, CNN/SI.com, G&W Recruiting Report and The Insiders.com All-American selection at Warren G. Harding High School. He was named to Tom Lemming's 2003 Super Team and was an All-State first-team choice as a junior and senior. He was rated the second-best defensive back in the nation by College Football News and ranked third among the nation's linebackers as well as the third-best overall player in the Midwest by Super Prep.

Burgess ranked second among the country's safeties on the Prep Football Report and was listed as the best safety in the nation by Rivals100.com. G&W Recruiting Report rated him the second-best defensive player in the nation, top defensive back and best player in the Midwest. He was named to Prep Star's Dream Team Top 100 list and selected to play in the 2003 U.S. Army All-American Bowl.

A hand injury limited Burgess to 33 tackles as a senior, but he registered 88 tackles as a junior and 71 more as a sophomore, collecting 192 career tackles, including 108 solo stops. He lettered in basketball, averaging 17 points and 12 rebounds as a junior. He also competed on the school's track team.

Burgess enrolled at the University of Michigan and saw action in 12 games as a true freshman in 2003. He competed mostly on special teams, but also saw action on defense as an inside linebacker. He finished his first season with 15 tackles (nine solos) and one pass deflection.

In 2004, he appeared in 11 games as a reserve inside linebacker. Burgess totaled 27 tackles (13 solos) with two fumble recoveries. He had his first interception for his career and also deflected a pass. The following season, he garnered All-Big Ten Conference honorable mention while starting 11 contests at weak-side outside linebacker. He ranked third on the team with a career-high 81 tackles (47 solos), adding one sack and four stops behind the line of scrimmage. He batted away five passes and intercepted another.

Burgess split weak-side outside linebacker duties with Chris Graham early in the 2006 season, returning to the starting lineup after Graham was injured. He ranked second on the team with 48 tackles (33 solos), posting 6.5 stops for losses, including three sacks. He deflected three passes and intercepted two others, returning one for a touchdown, but was bothered late in the season by an ankle sprain, sitting out the Indiana game. For his senior performance, he was again named All-Big Ten Conference honorable mention.

In 46 games at Michigan, Burgess started 20 times. He recorded 171 tackles (102 solos) with four sacks for minus-34 yards and 10.5 stops for losses of 79 yards. He recovered and caused two fumbles. He batted down 10 passes and intercepted four others for 110 yards in returns (27.5 avg), including one touchdown.

Positives: Has a lean, angular frame with good muscle tone, long limbs, thick thighs and calves and room on his frame to carry at least another 15 pounds of bulk without having in affect his playing speed … Plays with a high motor and showed some improvement staying in control in 2006, as he was prone to getting quite reckless in his closing burst in previous seasons … Best when making plays on the move or coming uncontested off the edge, as he lacks playing strength to get a good blitz coming through traffic … Has the agility and flexibility, along with good backpedal skills to play the deep zone in a Cover-2 scheme (possibly at strong safety) … When he locates the ball, he adjusts to the play quickly and uses his speed well in outside run support … Keeps his feet and shows good balance working down the line … Not the most instinctive read-and-react type that you will find, but is quick to get into position and make plays once he sees the action develop … Has active hands when taking on tight ends, with enough power to jam them at the line … Has the speed to reach ball carriers at the opposite end of the field and the acceleration to neutralize the cutback lanes … Shows good pad level and knee bend with fluid motion in his pass drops … Keeps containment on tight ends and backs working over the middle, and even though he lines up mostly on the weak side he can reroute or disengage from the short-area receivers, doing a nice job of reaching around to deflect or pick off the pass … Has natural hands for the interception and shows good balance and a quick burst returning the ball … Might get reckless an over-run a play, but has the lateral range to flow to the ball and burst to close (just marginal at sifting through trash though) … Has the speed to make plays in space and is a good wrap-up tackler making plays on the perimeter (avoids blockers too much to be effective inside) … Not really a big hitter, but can break down, wrap and secure in space … Runs well on wheel routes down field and comes out of his backpedal with no wasted motion to close on the ball … Shows the hip rotation needed to stay with runners coming out of the backfield in man coverage … His hip flexibility lets him turn and drop with proper angle and depth … Has a better feel for pass coverage than on inside running plays … Not really effective blitzing with his hand down, but has the speed to come off the edge, slip through and avoid blocks to flush the quarterback out of the pocket … Has the range to make plays from sideline-to-sideline, doing a nice job of slanting and taking angles to close on plays in front of him … His hip flexibility allows him to stay stride-for-stride with the receivers while dropping off in the zone … Shows good change-over ability with his feet coming out of his backpedal … Uses his hands well to field the ball and is a dangerous runner following interceptions.

Negatives: Plays mostly on athletic ability, as he struggles to retain plays or grasp the playbook … Slow to recognize blocking schemes and needs more than several reps in order for the "light to go on" upstairs … Will need to improve his adequate upper body strength and show more desire to face up to blockers at the next level (prefers to avoid contact as much as possible, except when tackling) … Has good timed speed, but lacks suddenness to generate explosion closing on the ball … Lacks the bulk to stack and control blockers when asked to lend in-line run support (has most of his problems when trying to get through trash) … Prefers to run around blocks and when he does this, he will give the wrong shoulder and lose leverage … Best when skating outside to make plays, as he struggles when having to play off blocks … Has poor stop-and-go action, as when he out-runs the play, he is slow to recover … When he rushes off the edge, he needs a clean lane to be effective. If not, he will take a wide loop to avoid the offensive tackle and then runs into problems trying to locate the ball (fails to find the rush lanes and is best trying to contain the run than pressuring the pocket) … Gets washed out of a lot of inside plays because he will get too tall in his stance, leaving himself exposed to a strong hand punch. Like two different players -- coming off the edge, he is very comfortable and decisive, but when made to lend in-line support against the run, he quickly gets walled off from the play … Needs to show better hand usage when trying to shed blocks, as he has had some tough times disengaging when his initial move fails to work.

Compares To: TOMMY POLLEY-New Orleans … Burgess looks more like a Cover-2 linebacker, but he lacks the read-and-react ability to locate the ball, especially when working through trash. Like Polley, he relies on quickness to make plays and is better on the move than playing at the X's. He has a tendency to out-run the play and then struggles to get back into the action. He is very smooth turning out of his pedal and has loose hips to mirror receivers on plays in front of him. With his experience as a safety, he might be a better fit in the secondary, but his lack of strength for a linebacker will probably limit him to weak-side play there.

Part of a 2006 team that not only set the school single-season record for least amount of yardage allowed vs. the run (43.38 avg), breaking the previous mark of 65.8 yards per game by the 1971 Wolverines, but that average was the lowest in a season by a Division 1-A team since the 1993 University of Arizona team allowed just 30.1 yards per game on the ground … That yardage average rank 10th on the NCAA Division 1-A season record books.

All-Big Ten Conference honorable mention … Co-recipient of Michigan's Outstanding Defensive Contributor Award … Named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week and Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week for his performance vs. Notre Dame … Played in twelve games at weak-side outside linebacker, sitting out the Indiana clash after suffering a sprained ankle the previous week vs. Ball State … Shared playing time with Chris Graham until Graham was injured, going on to start nine contests … Finished second on the team with 48 tackles (33 solos), adding three sacks for minus 28 yards and 6.5 stops for losses totaling 36 yards … Deflected three passes and intercepted two others for 66 yards in returns, including one touchdown.

Vanderbilt … Came off the bench in the season opener, responding with four tackles (3 solos) and a pass deflection.

Central Michigan … Started at middle linebacker, but managed just one solo tackle (also played on the weak-side).

Notre Dame … Earned Player of the Week honors as he totaled five tackles with a stop behind the line of scrimmage, a pass deflection and two interceptions … On the game's second play from scrimmage, Burgess stepped in front of a Brady Quinn pass, picking it off at the ND 31 and racing 31 yards into the end zone for a touchdown … He batted away a third-&-9 pass thrown by Quinn to tight end John Carlson four minutes into the second quarter, forcing the Irish to punt … Intercepted a third-&-6 pass thrown by Quinn midway through the third quart, returning the ball 35 yards to the ND 4 to set up a 20-yard field goal by Michigan's Garrett Rivas … Tackled tailback Munir Prince for a 5-yard loss on a rushing attempt with 3:23 left in the game.

Wisconsin … Followed with seven tackles (4 solos) and a pass deflection … Sacked QB John Stocco for a 4-yard loss on third-&-3 late in the first quarter and deflected a third-&-13 pass thrown by Stocco early in the second quarter, forcing the Badgers to punt.

Minnesota … Credited with five tackles (4 solos).

Michigan State … Was in on eight tackles (6 solos), a 6-yard sack and two stops for minus 7 yards … Sacked QB Drew Stanton for a 6-yard loss on third-&-3, forcing MSU to punt midway through the first quarter.

Penn State … Came off the bench to deliver five tackles (4 solos).

Iowa … Returned to the starting lineup, but totaled just three solo tackles.

Northwestern … Managed only one tackle, but it stopped tailback Tyrell Sutton for a 2-yard loss early in the third quarter, as the Wolverines held the Wildcats to minus 13 yards on 17 carries.

Ball State … Delivered two solo tackles, including an 8-tyard sack of QB Nate Davis in the first quarter, but then left the game with an ankle sprain.

Indiana … Did not play (ankle).

Ohio State … Returned to action with a five-tackle performance.

Southern California (Rose Bowl) … Came off the bench in his final collegiate game, making a pair of solo tackles.

All-Big Ten Conference honorable mention … Started 11 of 12 games at weak-side outside linebacker, coming off the bench vs. Michigan State … Ranked third on the team with a career-high 81 tackles (47 solos) … Credited with a 6-yard sack, four stops for losses of 43 yards and two forced fumbles … Deflected five passes and intercepted another for a 21-yard return … Named ABC Player of the Game vs. Penn State.

Northern Illinois … Made his first career start in the season opener, responding with five tackles (3 solos), one pass break-up and forced one fumble.

Notre Dame … Registered eight stops (4 solos), taking down tailback Darius Walker for a 6-yard loss.

Eastern Michigan … Made four tackles, including one for a 29-yard loss.

Wisconsin … Contributed six tackles (2 solos).

Michigan State and Minnesota … Added seven tackles in each game.

Penn State … Named ABC Player of the Game after matching his previous season-high with eight tackles (7 solos), one forced fumble and one pass break-up.

Iowa … Delivered eleven tackles (6 solos) and sacked QB Drew Tate for a 6-yard loss.

Northwestern … Leveled tailback Tyrell Sutton for a 2-yard loss and posted seven tackles (4 solos) with a pass deflection.

Indiana … Registered four tackles and returned an interception 21 yards.

Ohio State … Followed with ten tackles (8 solos).

Nebraska (Alamo Bowl) … Closed out the season with four tackles (2 solos) and a pair of pass deflections.

Played in eleven games as a reserve inside linebacker and special teams contributor … Recorded 27 tackles (13 solos) with two fumble recoveries … Returned an interception 23 yards and deflected one pass.

Recovered a fumble and posted two tackles vs. Miami (Oh.) in the season opener … Had two assisted tackles and a fumble recovery vs. Notre Dame … Collected six assisted stops in the Illinois clash … Deflected a pass and delivered a pair of hits vs. Ohio State … Made seven tackles (4 solos) and returned an interception 23 yards vs. Texas in the Rose Bowl.

Played in twelve games (did not suit up vs. Indiana), seeing action as an inside linebacker and on special teams … Registered fifteen tackles (9 solos) and deflectedf one pass.

After making his collegiate debut on special teams vs. Central Michigan, Burgess made his debut as an inside linebacker, coming up with two tackles vs. Notre Dame … Added a season-high five solo tackles vs. Indiana … Had a pair of tackles in each of the Purdue, Northwestern and Ohio State clashes.

2002: Missed more than half of his high school senior year with a hand fracture.

2006: Suffered an ankle sprain vs. Ball State (11/04) that forced him to miss the second half of that contest and sit out the following game against Indiana.

Campus: 4.55 in the 40-yard dash … Bench pressed 225 pounds 12 times … 33-inch vertical jump … 33 1/8-inch arm length … 9 5/8-inch hands.

Combine: 4.82 in the 40-yard dash … 32 1/2-inch vertical jump … 8'10" broad jump … 4.31 20-yard shuttle … 7.01 three cone drill … Benched 225 pounds 19 times.

Attended Warren G. Harding (Warren, Oh.) High School, playing football for head coach Thom McDaniels … 2002 Riddell Footwear, CNN/SI.com, G&W Recruiting Report and The Insiders.com All-American selection … Named to Tom Lemming's 2003 Super Team and was an All-State first-team choice as a junior and senior … Rated the second-best defensive back in the nation by College Football News and ranked third among the nation's linebackers as well as the third-best overall player in the Midwest by Super Prep … Ranked second among the country's safeties on the Prep Football Report and was listed as the best safety in the nation by Rivals100.com … G&W Recruiting Report rated him the second-best defensive player in the nation, top defensive back and best player in the Midwest … Named to Prep Star's Dream Team Top 100 list and selected to play in the 2003 U.S. Army All-American Bowl … A hand injury limited Burgess to 33 tackles as a senior, but he registered 88 tackles and a junior and 71 more as a sophomore, collecting 192 career tackles, including 108 solo stops … Lettered in basketball, averaging 17 points and 12 rebounds as a junior … Also competed on the school's track team … High school teammate of former Wolverine linebacker Carl Diggs.

General Studies major, enrolled in the College of Literature, Science and the Arts … Cousin of former Michigan Wolverine cornerback Alfie Burch (1991-93) … Born Prescott Ennis Burgess on 3/06/84 … Resides in Warren, Ohio.