Senior offensive lineman Dustin Burns has been a consistent backbone to the Demons offensive line in his four years on the team.

Raised in Beaumont, Texas, the West Brook High School graduate was a standout in the 6A class during his time as a Bruin Bear.

He was all-district as a senior and second-team all-district as a long snapper, as well as a two-time wrestling district champion.

Off the field, he was a member of the National Honor Society and the all-state academic team in Class 6A.

Graduating in 2015, he redshirted his academic freshman year while making the Southland Conference Commissioners Fall Honor Roll, which he has done every year as a Demon. Appearing in eight games his 2016 season and making four starts in 2017 as tackle and center, he began posting high percentage grades in knockdowns, which are defined as any block in which the defender ends up on the ground due to force, per snap towards the end of his sophomore season.

In 2018, the honorable mention All-Louisiana athlete appeared in 10 games, starting seven of them at right tackle. He led the team in knockdowns for five weeks with a season-high 23 at Southeastern Louisiana.

This season, he tied the team lead with 13 knockdowns at Houston Baptist on Sept. 21. He also delivered a team-leading 11 knockdowns at FBS No. 4, now No. 2, LSU, grading at 88 percent.

Currently pursuing a master’s degree in sports administration, Burns holds a bachelor’s degree in Biology. He hopes to enter physical therapy school and aspires to be an athletic director.

His life’s ambition is to help younger people achieve what they don’t think is possible.