Honors
- All-America: 2021 (AP, AFCA, Stats Perform, Phil Steele, Hero Sports), 2022 (AP); 2023 (AP, Phil Steele); 2024 (AP)
- MVFC 40-Year Anniversary Team: 2025
- FCS Punter of the Year Award: 2023 (finalist), 2024 (finalist)
- Hero Sports Freshman All-America Team: 2021
- All-MVFC: 2020-21 (honorable mention), 2021 (1st team), 2022 (1st team); 2023 (1st team), 2024 (1st team)
- Preseason All-MVFC: 2022 (1st team); 2023 (1st team), 2024 (1st team)
- MVFC Commissioner's Academic Excellence Award: 2023, 2024
- MVFC Honor Roll: 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024
- MSU Athletic Director's Honor Roll: Spring 2021, Fall 2021, Fall 2022, Spring 2023, Fall 2023, Spring 2024
2024
Associated Press All-America honorable mention selection ... First-team All-MVFC punter ... Finished 14th nationally and 2nd in MVFC in punting average (44.1) ... Finished season with 45 attempts, 1,983 yards, 15 downed inside the 20, 9 punts of 50 yards+ and 17 fair catches ... Played in all 12 games to break club record for career games played (56), along with long snapper Caden Bolz ... Earned Special Teams Showtime award for home opener vs. Lindenwood (9/14/24), win over Youngstown State (9/28/24), win at Illinois State (10/12/24) and game at national champion North Dakota State (11/23/24) ... Averaged 53.67 yards on 3 punts in road win at Illinois State (10/12/24) ... Posted a 47.83 punting average in home win over Southern Illinois (11/2/24) on 6 attempts for season-high 287 yards ... Registered 280 yards on 6 punts vs. South Dakota State (11/23/24) with 6 punts ... Had an assisted tackle in home opener vs. Lindenwood (9/14/24) ... Also named to Phil Steele MVFC third-team all-conference list ... Earned MVFC Commissioner's Academic Excellence Award and MVFC Honor Roll distinction.
2023
Named to Associated Press All-America Team for third straight season, earning second-team honors, while also being named to Phil Steele FCS All-America Team (third team) ... Was also a first-team All-MVFC selection for the third straight year ... Was a finalist for the FCS Punter of the Year Award ... Burkett's 43.97 season punting average led the MVFC and was 7th-best nationally among FCS punters ... Led the Bears to a No. 8 national ranking in net punting (41.08) ... Had 11 punts of 50-plus yards this season on 35 total attempts ... Posted a 49.2 average at No. 1 South Dakota State (11/18/23) with two 50+ kicks in season finale in Brookings ... Also averaged 48.4 yards on 5 punts vs. Murray State (10/21/23) ... Posted a 48.0 average on a pair of punts vs. NDSU (10/7/23) at home ... Earned FCS Preseason All-America third-team honors from Stats Perform and Phil Steele ... Named as a Preseason All-MVFC first-team selection by The Valley, Phil Steele and Bluebloods ... Earned MVFC Commissioner's Academic Excellence Award and MVFC Honor Roll status ... ... Named to MSU Athletic Director's Honor Roll for Fall 2023 and Spring 2024 semesters.
2022
Named to Associated Press FCS All-America Team as a third-team selection ... Also named All-MVFC first-team ... Ranked 12th nationally and tops in MVFC in punting average (43.2) ... Finished season with 14 punts downed inside 20 ... Had 11 punts of 50 yards or more ... 2022 Preseason All-MVFC first team ... 2022 FCS Punter of the Year Watch List ... Averaged 47.7 yards on 3 punts at North Dakota (10/1/22) with a long of 51 ... Had 3 punts downed inside the 20 and logged a 47.5 average on 8 attempts at No. 10 Arkansas (9/17/22) with a season-best long punt of 64 and three punts over 50 yards ... Had 9th-best single-game punting average in school history vs. No. 2 South Dakota St. (9/24/22) with 7 punts for 331 yards for a 47.3 average, including punts of 52, 56 and 51 yards, 5-of-7 fair caught and 3 downed inside the 20 ... Had 2 punts downed inside the 20 in season opener at UCA (9/1/22) ... 2022 Preseason All-MVFC first team ... 2022 FCS Punter of the Year Watch List ... Phil Steele named Burkett to his MVFC first team list ... Earned MVFC Honor Roll honors ... Named to Athletic Director's Honor Roll for Fall 2022 and Spring 2023 semesters.
2021
A consensus All-American punter in 2021, Burkett earned national recognition from AFCA (2nd team), STATS (3rd team), AP (3rd team), Phil Steele (3rd team) and Hero Sports (3rd team) All-America teams ... Also qualified as a Freshman All-American from Hero Sports ... Was the All-MVFC first-team punter after boasting a league-best and school record 46.2 yards per punt with 16 of his 51 kicks going for 50 yards or more and 15 downed inside the 20 ... Finished second nationally in punting average (46.2), just behind UC Davis' Daniel Whelan (46.3), while helping the Bears rank 2nd nationally as a team in net punting (42.81) ... Also served as team's holder on PAT/FG ... Had season-high 6 punts three times, including games at Oklahoma State (9/4/21), South Dakota (9/25/21) and in the NCAA Playoffs vs. UT Martin (11/27/21) ... Averaged 53.5 yards on 4 punts in win over UCA (9/11/21) with 3 punts over 50 yards, including a season-long 62-yarder ... Also had three 50-yard punts at Oklahoma State with 3 downed inside the 20 ... Boasted a 49.2 average on 4 punts at North Dakota State (10/23/21) ... Had at least a 48-yard punt in all 12 games with at least one 50-yarder in 9 games ... Named to MVFC Honor Roll ... Earned spot on MSU Athletic Director's Honor Roll for Fall 2021 semester.
2020-21
All-MVFC honorable mention selection in his first season as the Bears starting punter ... Ranked 3rd in MVFC and 13th nationally in punting average (43.0), the second-highest season average in MSU history ... Also posted fifth-highest single-season punting yardage total (2,798) in school history ... Averaged 43.3 yards per punt in MVFC games, which was 4th in the league ... Averaged 49.6 yards on 7 attempts in NCAA Playoff game at No. 7 North Dakota (4/24/21) -- the third-highest single-game punting average in school history ... Also averaged 48.6 yards on 8 punts vs. North Dakota State (3/6/21) at home, including 4 attempts of 50+ yards ... Landed 3 punts inside the 20 in win at Western Illinois (2/27/21) ... Season-long 75-yarder -- tied for second-longest in school history -- in homecoming game vs. UCA (10/17/20) ... Logged season-high 9 punts in opener at Oklahoma (9/12/20) while recording his first career tackle ... Named to MVFC Honor Roll ... Earned spot on MSU Athletic Director's Honor Roll for Spring 2021.
2019
Redshirted as a true freshman in 2019.
High School
A three-year starting punter for coach John Roderique at Webb City (Mo.) High ... Was part of the 2017 Class 4 state championship run and three district championship teams ... Averaged 40.9 yards per punt as a senior in 2018 to help him earn second-team all-state honors ... Averaged 38.9 yards per punt as a junior ... Was 7-of-8 on extra points his last two seasons ... Earned all-district, all-conference and all-region honors in 2017 and 2018, while earning all-region honorable mention as a sophomore ... Cardinals were 51-6 during his high school career, including a 28-1 run his last two campaigns.
Personal
Grant Evan Burkett was born 2/5/01 in Joplin, Mo. ... Son of Anita Bowers and Jeff Burkett ... Has a brother, Ethan ... Earned a degree in General Business in May 2023 and Individualized Studies Graduate Certificate in May 2024 ... Currently pursuing Individualized Studies graduate certificate.
