"Be the best somewhere else" – Burrell's journey through the ELF

Devan Burrell's 2025 season in the European League of Football was remarkable not only for the numbers he put up, but also for the way he achieved them.

Officially listed as a cornerback, Burrell is also an outstanding returner on special teams, recording 1.514 kick and punt return yards this season, including two kickoff return touchdowns and one punt return touchdown. What makes the achievement even more extraordinary: he accomplished it while switching teams mid-season, starting with the Wroclaw Panthers before joining the Helvetic Mercenaries.

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A new team, a bigger impact

For Burrell, the move was more than a simple team change. In an interview with First Down Magazine, he said: "I feel good finishing it. Helvetic gave me another opportunity and when I got the opportunity, I just took it." He added: "Everybody is talking about how bad the team and stuff was, but living in the country of Switzerland was very good."

Beyond the statistics, Burrell found fulfillment in mentoring younger players: "Being around the team and being able to like impact players that people think aren't that good, just helping them get better and I'm glad they appreciated that I was able to improvise a lot and help them," he said. "They look at everybody in the league, looks at it as a bad thing and they but I was going able to go there and teach kids that were younger than me and that just filled my heart with a lot of love."

Three-time Special Teams Player of the Year

Earlier this month, Burrell was named Special Teams Player of the Year for the third year in a row. Reflecting on the honor in his acceptance speech, he said: "First and foremost, I'd like to thank God, my family, my mom, and all the fans that keep me going and my teammates. I honestly like to thank the ELF for giving me an opportunity to make my mom happy. She talks about it all the time. I talk to her about a lot of things like I'll never be able to play in the States, but she said, 'You can be the best somewhere else.' So that's all I think about when I'm out there."

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Burrell's season is a reminder that elite performance is not just about stats. Changing teams mid-season could have disrupted his rhythm, but he stayed focused, delivered on the field, and helped younger players grow off it. His impact stretches far beyond numbers – he left a mark on two teams and the league itself.