As anyone who’s lived in Tucson for long enough knows, this town will always take you back. Same goes for the football team when you play a position of need.
Former Arizona tight end Keyan Burnett its transferring back to the Wildcats after spending the spring with Kansas, according to 247Sports’ Matt Zenitz.
Burnett was one of more two dozen members of the 2024 team who entered the NCAA transfer portal in December, eventually signing with Kansas. But after spending four months with the Jayhawks and going through spring ball he re-entered the portal last month.
In three seasons with the UA the 6-foot-6, 248-pound Burnett appeared in 32 games with eight starts. He started three of the first four games last fall, including the Big 12 opener at Utah when he caught a late touchdown pass from Noah Fifita (his high school teammate at Servite in Anaheim, Calif.) to help seal the win.
That was the only career TD for Burnett, who has caught 24 passes including 18 in 2024.
Burnett, the son of former Arizona defensive star Chester Burnett, was a 4-star prospect in the UA’s landmark 2022 recruiting class that also featured Fifita and fellow Servite teammates Jacob Manu and Tetairoa McMillan.
Tight end was a position offensive coordinator Seth Doege noted at the end of spring ball was in need of more depth. Sam Olson started most games last season and Tyler Powell stood out during spring, while Arizona also added Cameron Barmore from the portal and has 3-star prospect Kellan Ford arriving this summer.
Burnett is the second ex-Wildcat to come back to Arizona this offseason after signing elsewhere. Defensive lineman Tia Savea, a starter on the 2023 team that went 10-3 and won the Alamo Bowl, returned to Tucson after spending last year.