June 6, 2006
ORLANDO - UCF sophomore cornerback Joe Burnett was named a preseason All-American by Athlon Sports. Burnett was a first-team All-America selection as a punt returner and a second-team pick at cornerback.
Athlon had this to write about Burnett: "Burnett is Conference USA's top player both at cornerback and punt returner. As a freshman last year, he was first-team all-conference in addition to making C-USA's All-Freshman team. On defense, he intercepted five passes and broke up nine others. He averaged 16.5 yards on 28 punt returns and ran two back for touchdowns, including a 68-yarder in the C-USA title game against Tulsa."
Burnett ranked first in C-USA and sixth nationally in punt returns last season while ranking second in the league and 26th in the NCAA in interceptions per game.
He established a new single-season school record for punt return yardage (463) and was named a first-team Freshman All-American by the Football Writers Association of America, Rivals.com and CollegeFootballNews.com.
Burnett and the Golden Knights open the 2006 campaign at home on Saturday, Sept. 2 vs. Villanova. Ticket orders are now being accepted for the 2006 football season. Season ticket holders will be given priority when seats are sold in the new stadium. Fans can place their ticket order by calling 407-UCF-1000.