What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. It’s incredibly sad when you lose someone who holds a special place in your heart. Deion Burks, the star wide receiver for the Oklahoma Sooners, has experienced significant pain from the loss of his mother.

May 13, 2016, is a day Deion Burks will never forget. Just days after celebrating Mother’s Day, his mom, Dionne Bolden, passed away at the young age of 42 due to asthma complications. This tragic event devastated 13-year-old Deion, who looked up to his mom as his source of happiness and positivity. Raised by his father, Daniel, Deion faced a difficult challenge. But he never let his grief hold him back. Instead, he focused on making his mom proud and achieving his goals.

Honoring her memories, Deion Burks announced his top six schools list for his recruitment. This included Kentucky, Purdue, Indiana, Iowa State, Boston College, and Cincinnati. After selecting Purdue, Deion dedicated his whole football career to his mom. In the year 2020, he took to Twitter to share a video of him practicing, saying, “Dear momma, I love you. This is for you. #RIPmom 100% committed.” In fact, Deion remembers his mom before every match!

During an interview with Mlive, he said, “Her memory sticks with me every day, most definitely.” Although his mother is not there to witness his outstanding gameplay, she must be filled with pride for all that he has achieved so far.

Deion Burks’ early career and future expectations

Oklahoma Sooners star wide receiver Deion Burks had an impressive performance during his college years playing for Purdue University. Throughout his college years, he participated in all 14 games of the 2022 season and made 15 receptions running for 149 yards. He emerged as Purdue’s top receiver in 2023, recording 47 catches for 629 yards with seven touchdowns. After a remarkable gameplay last season, Burks was transferred to the University of Oklahoma.

Right now, the Oklahoma Sooners offense heavily relies on WR Deion Burks after last week’s match against Houston. Despite winning the game by a slim 16-12, the offense struggled to run the ball. It looked like everyone was out of sync, couldn’t create much space, and dropped too many passes. However, Burks is now the go-to guy for quarterback Jackson Arnold in the passing game. He proved it against Houston, catching 4 touchdown passes. Well, even after a strong performance, Burks is still looking to improve. As he said after the win, “I feel like I left a couple plays out there that I wish I probably could have got on or me and Jackson could have connected on. But man, we got a great team win.”

With tougher opponents coming up in October, Burks will have to step up his game to meet Coach Venables’ expectations. Can he do it? Let us know what you think!