SHARKS BRING ON DEFENSIVE LINEMAN IZAAH BURKS

AAF / IFL Veteran joins Jacksonville

JACKSONVILLE, FL – The Jacksonville Sharks sign veteran defensive lineman Izaah Burks who enters his fourth season of arena football and first with the Jacksonville Sharks. 

Burks (6’4, 305) signed with the Jersey Flight for the 2021 NAL training camp but later joined the Tucson Sugar Skulls of the Indoor Football League (IFL) for the regular season. Burks started on the Skulls defensive line late in the season helping them finish 2021 on a two-game win streak. Izaah spent the 2019 season with the Iowa Barnstormer of the IFL. During his rookie season he helped the Barnstormers to a 12-2 overall record and the 3rd best defense in the IFL allowing only 522 points.

Prior to arena football Burks played for the Orlando Apollos of the Alliance of American Football where he had 13 tackles and three QB hits for the 7-1 league champions. Burks also played in the XFL for Dallas in 2020. He was an undrafted NFL free agent who played two seasons in the NFL with both the Green Bay Packers and New York Giants as a member of the team’s training camp & practice squad rosters as a defensive tackle. 

Burks spent his college career at Bowling Green where he played in over 44 games for Falcons. Burks had a career total of 93 tackles and 4.5 sacks. During his junior year he helped Bowling Green to a 10-4 record, a MAC Championship victory over Northern Illinois, and an appearance in the GoDaddy Bowl against Georgia Southern. As a sophomore Burks and Bowling Green finished first in the east division of the MAC conference where they played in the MAC Championship game. They finished the year with a Camellia Bowl victory against South Alabama. During his freshman season at Bowling Green they went on to a 10-4 overall record, a MAC Championship, stunning #16 (FBS) NIU 47-27 and advanced to the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl at Ford Field in Detroit where they played the University of Pittsburgh. 

Izaah Burks is from Cincinnati, OH, where he played high school football at Shroder Paideia Academy. During his senior year he helped SPA start the season with two consecutive shutout victories. Shroder Paideia finished the season with a 8-2 record finishing second in the Cincinnati Metro Division.  

About the Jacksonville Sharks

The Jacksonville Sharks are members of the National Arena League (NAL). The 2019 & 2017 NAL Champions and ArenaBowl XXIV Champions play all their home games at the Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena. Sharks Nation Memberships for the 2022 season are now available. To become a Shark Nation member or for more information please call (904) 621-0700. Follow the Sharks on Facebook at facebook.com/jaxsharks and on Twitter and Instagram @jaxsharks, as well as the Attack Dance Team at facebook.com/sharkattackdance and Chum at facebook.com/chumsharks.