Official 2015 Nominations Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Burlsworth Trophy Announces Nominees

Trophy honors most outstanding current/former Walk-On for sixth year

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark., Nov. 10, 2015 – Today the Burlsworth Trophy and the presenting sponsor, the Springdale (Ark.) Rotary Club, are excited to announce the 55 players nominated for the Burlsworth Trophy. The 2015 list includes team captains, All-Conference selections and national statistical leaders from every conference in the nation. The Trophy is given to the most outstanding football player in America who began his career as a Walk-On. A Walk-On is defined as a player who began his first season of participation with a D1 (FBS) football program without financial aid of any kind from his university’s athletic department. The Trophy is named in honor of former University of Arkansas Walk-On and All-American offensive lineman, Brandon Burlsworth. Burlsworth’s life is also the subject of a new major motion picture, “GREATER”, which will be released on January 22, 2016.

The 2015 Burlsworth Trophy nominees are:

School Player Class Position
Alabama Michael Nysewander SR Tight End
Arizona State Jordan Simone SR Safety
Arkansas Mitchell Loewen SR Def. Lineman
Arkansas State Johnston White SOPH Running Back
Auburn Kevin Phillips JR Punter
Ball State Jacob Richard SR OL/Center
Brigham Young Mitchell Juergens JR Wide Receiver
Clemson C.J. Davidson SR Running Back
Colorado State Kevin O’Brien SR Center
Eastern Michigan Dylan Mulder SR Kicker
Florida Atlantic Sharrod Neasman SR Def. Back
Florida State Javien Elliott SR Def. Back
Fresno State Bo Bonnheim SR Center/Guard
Houston Tyler White SR Corner Back
Illinois Clayton Fejedelem SR Def. Back
Indiana Anthony Corsaro SR Tight End
Iowa Marshall Koehn SR Kicker
Kent State Nick Cuthbert JR Safety
Marshall Tyler Williams SR Punter
Memphis Alan Cross SR Tight End
Miami Michael Badgley SOPH Kicker
Michigan Ryan Glasgow SR Def. Tackle
Minnesota Peter Mortell SR Punter
Mississippi State Westin Graves SOPH Kicker
Missouri Tyler Hunt SR Tailback
Nebraska Jack Gangwish SR Def. End
Nevada Jordan Dobrich SR Linebacker
New Mexico State Teldrick Morgan SR Wide Receiver
Oklahoma Baker Mayfield JR Quarterback
Old Dominion TJ Ricks JR Linebacker
Ole Miss Carlos Davis JR Cornerback
Oregon Matt Pierson SR Left Guard
Oregon State Devin Chappell JR Cornerback
Penn State Carl Nassib SR Def. End
Rice James Farrimond SR P/PK
Rutgers Paul James SR Running Back
San Diego State Dakota Gordon SR Fullback
SMU Andrew McCleneghen SR Def. Lineman
South Carolina Perry Orth JR Quarterback
Stanford Conrad Ukropina SR Kicker
Syracuse Riley Dixon SR Punter
Tennessee Trevor Daniel SOPH Punter
Texas Tech John White SR Def. Back
Toledo Jack Linch SOPH Linebacker
Tulane Marshall Wadleigh JR Running Back
Tulsa Matt Linscott JR Linebacker
UCLA Roosevelt Davis SR Running Back
UConn Jeremy Claflin SR Safety
UMass Joe Colton SR DB/LB
USC Alex Wood JR Placekicker
Utah State Jordan Nielsen SR Def. End
Wake Forest Robert Hunter Williams SR OLB/Rover
Washington State Luke Falk SOPH Quarterback
Western Michigan Grant DePalma SR Linebacker
Wisconsin Joe Schobert SR Linebacker

“In this 6th year of the Burlsworth Trophy, I am again impressed by the quality and commitment of the athletes who have been nominated,” said Marty Burlsworth, CEO and founder of the Burlsworth Foundation and older brother of Brandon. “These young men represent what the Burlsworth Trophy stands for: character, hard work, dedication to a sport and to their school and above all else, a desire to excel at the highest level.”

Without one D1 scholarship offer, Brandon Burlsworth walked on at the University of Arkansas in 1994. He became a three-year starter and was eventually named an All-American in 1998. Burlsworth was selected as the 63rd overall pick by the Indianapolis Colts in the 1999 NFL draft, but was tragically killed in a car accident 11 days later. The Burlsworth Foundation was created in his memory and supports the physical and spiritual needs of children, in particular those children who have limited opportunities.

Springdale Rotary Club will host an awards ceremony on Dec. 7th in Springdale, (Ark.) to honor the three finalists and to announce the 2015 winner.