July 5, 2017
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Vanderbilt standouts Oren Burks, Kyle Shurmur and Ralph Webb will join head coach Derek Mason next week at Southeastern Conference Football Media Days, the league announced Wednesday.
Burks, Shurmur, Webb and Mason will appear Tuesday, July 11 at the SEC’s hugely successful Media Days activity held in Hoover just south of Birmingham. The Commodore contingent is scheduled for three hours of continuous interviews starting at 9 a.m. CT.
SEC Media Days has become college football’s biggest preseason spectacle since its inception in 1989. Last year, more than 1,000 media members representing print, radio, television, and web-based affiliates attended the event.
Webb, a senior running back, will become just the second Commodore to attend three straight SEC Media Days. The only other Vanderbilt student-athlete to do so was quarterback Jay Cutler, who appeared in 2003-05.
Burks, a senior linebacker, will be making his second appearance at Media Days. This will be the first Media Days appearance for Shurmur, the Commodores’ starting quarterback.
“I’m excited for Oren, Kyle and Ralph. They will do a great job representing our football team and Vanderbilt University in Hoover,” Mason said. “All three of these guys are excellent leaders, proven performers and outstanding teammates.”
Webb, from Gainesville, Fla., is the most accomplished running back in Commodore history and well on his way to becoming one of the Southeastern Conference all-time rushing leaders. Webb smashed Vanderbilt’s single-season record last year en route to becoming the program’s all-time leading rusher. He enters his final season with 3,342 rushing yards and ranks No. 20 all-time on SEC charts.
Webb rushed for 1,283 yards in 2016, breaking Zac Stacy’s former school record of 1,193 yards set in 2011. Webb also rushed for 13 touchdowns, matching the third highest single-season total by a Commodore.
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Remarkably, Webb has established freshman, sophomore and junior rushing records during his Commodore career. If Webb produces at least nine rushing touchdowns, he will eclipse Stacy’s record of 30 career touchdowns.
Burks, from Fairfax Station, Va., is one of the most versatile defenders in the SEC. In 2016, he played the team’s hybrid Star position, as well as inside and outside linebacker. This fall, he is expected to concentrate on inside linebacker.
Last year, Burks was somewhat overshadowed by inside linebacker Zach Cunningham, who earned unanimous first team All-America recognition after a sensational season. Burks finished the year with 40 solo tackles, 59 total stops, 6.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 quarterback sacks and an interception. Burks’ career statistics include 155 total tackles and four interceptions.
Burks is also a key leader on the Vanderbilt campus. Last year, he served as president of the Vanderbilt Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) chapter and was named among 11 student-athletes nationwide to the Allstate-American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Good Works Team. He also gained attention in 2015 as a co-founder of the campus organization Revitalizing & Empowering Vanderbilt’s African-American Male Population (REVAMP).
Shurmur, from Philadelphia, Pa., broke one of Cutler’s sophomore passing records in 2016 while guiding the Commodores to impressive late-season victories over Georgia, Ole Miss and Tennessee. Shurmur threw for 2,409 yards last year, surpassing Cutler’s sophomore total of 2,347 yards set in 2003.
Shurmur also ended the regular season in sensational fashion, completing 79-of-129 passes for 1,162 yards over his last four SEC games. The stretch included a 416-yard passing performance in Vanderbilt’s victory over Tennessee.
Continuous coverage of SEC Football Media Days will be available on SEC Network and the SEC’s official website, SECSports.com. VUCommodores.com and @VandyFootball will also be in Hoover, providing an exclusive, behind-the-scenes look at the Black and Gold representatives.
A complete list of current and former Vanderbilt student-athletes who have participated in SEC Media Days follows:
2016 — Oren Burks (LB), Zach Cunningham (LB), Ralph Webb (RB)
2015 — Nigel Bowden (LB), Spencer Pulley (OL), Ralph Webb (RB)
2014 — Adam Butler (DL), Steven Scheu (TE), Andrew Williamson (DB)
2013 — Andre Hal (DB), Wesley Johnson (OL), Jordan Matthews (WR)
2012 — Jordan Rodgers (QB), Zac Stacy (RB), Trey Wilson (DB)
2011 — Casey Hayward (DB), Chris Marve (LB), Larry Smith (QB)
2010 — Chris Marve (LB), Warren Norman (RB), John Stokes (LB)
2009 — Bradley Vierling (OL), Myron Lewis (DB)
2008 — George Smith (WR), Reshard Langford (DB)
2007 — Earl Bennett (WR), Jonathan Goff (LB)
2006 — Brian Stamper (OL), Jonathan Goff (LB)
2005 — Jay Cutler (QB), Moses Osemwegie(LB)
2004 — Jay Cutler (QB), Jovan Haye (DL)
2003 — Jay Cutler (QB), Jovan Haye (DL)
2002 — Dan Stricker (WR), Rushen Jones (DB)
2001 — Greg Zolman (QB), Nate Morrow (LB)
2000 — Elliott Carson (TE), Jamie Winborn (LB)
1999 — Ainsley Battles (DB), Todd Yoder (TE/WR)
1998 — Clay Condrey (OL), Fred Vinson (DB)
1997 — Corey Chavous (DB), Jamie Duncan (LB)
1996 — Matt Schuckman (DL), Eric Vance (DB)
1995 — Robert Couch (OL), James Manley (DL)
1994 — Gerald Collins (LB), Eric Lewis (RB)
1993 — Eric Dahlberg (OL), Shelton Quarles (LB)
1992 — Clarence Sevillian (WR), Robbie Young (DB)
1991 — Bob Craycraft (OL), Rod Keith (DL)
1990 — Kevin Brothen (OL), Corey Harris (DB)
1989 — John Gromos (QB), DeMond Winston (LB)
