FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Burlsworth Trophy Announces Nominees
Trophy honors outstanding walk-on for fifth year
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark., Nov. 11, 2014 – Today, the Burlsworth Trophy and the Springdale (Ark.) Rotary Club announced the 55 players nominated from Division 1 (FBS) schools from across the country for the 2014 Burlsworth Trophy. In the award’s fifth year, the Trophy honors Brandon Burlsworth, former University of Arkansas walk-on and All-American offensive lineman. The award will be given to the collegiate player who began their career as a walk-on and has shown outstanding performance on the field. Nominees must have begun their first season of participation with a D1 football program without financial aid of any kind from their athletic department.
The 2013 winner was receiver Jared Abbrederis from the University of Wisconsin. In his four-year career, Abbrederis amassed 3,110 receiving yards on 197 catches, with 23 touchdowns in his Wisconsin career.
The 2014 Burlsworth Trophy nominees are:
| School | Player | Year | Position |
| Arizona | Jared Tevis | SR | Safety |
| Arizona State | Jordan Simone | JR | Safety |
| Arkansas | Alan D’Appollonio | SR | Snapper |
| Arkansas State | Johnston White | JR | Running Back |
| Baylor | Collin Brence | SR | Linebacker |
| Bowling Green | Ryan Burbrink | JR | Wide Receiver |
| Brigham Young | Scott Arellano | SR | Punter |
| California | Stephen Anderson | JR | Wide Receiver |
| Central Florida | Brandon Alexander | SR | Def. Back |
| Central Michigan | Justin Cherocci | SR | LineBacker |
| Clemson | Michael Sobeski | SR | Snapper |
| Colorado | Darragh O’Neill | SR | Punter |
| Colorado State | Kevin O’Brien | JR | Center |
| East Carolina | Justin Hardy | SR | Inside Receiver |
| Florida Atlantic | Jenson Stoshak | JR | Wide Receiver |
| Georgia Southern | Edwin Jackson | SR | Linebacker |
| Houston | Kyle Bullard | JR | Kicker |
| Idaho | Ton Hennessey | SR | Safety |
| Indiana | Collin Rahrig | SR | Center/Guard |
| Iowa | Mark Weisman | SR | Running Back |
| Kansas State | Jonathan Truman | SR | Linebacker |
| Kent State | Casey Pierce | SR | Tight End |
| LSU | Connor Neighbors | SR | Fullback |
| Marshall | Chris Jasperse | SR | Center |
| Memphis | Brandon Hayes | SR | Running Back |
| Miami | Nantambu-Akil Fentress | SR | Def. Back |
| Michigan State | Jack Conklin | SO | Off. Tackle |
| Mississippi State | Ben Beckwith | SR | Guard |
| Nebraska | Trevor Roach | SR | Linebacker |
| New Mexico | Zack Rogers | JR | Punter |
| North Carolina | Mack Hollins | SO | Wide Receiver |
| Notre Dame | Joe Schmidt | SR | Linebacker |
| Oklahoma | Aaron Ripkowski | SR | Fullback |
| Old Dominion | Tyler Compton | SO | Off. Lineman |
| Oregon State | Keith Kostol | SR | Punter |
| Rice | Matt Simonette | SR | Center |
| Rutgers | Michael Burton | SR | Fullback |
| San Diego State | Joel Alesi | SR | Punter |
| SMU | Stephen Nelson | SR | Wide Receiver |
| South Alabama | Qudarius Ford | SR | Cornerback |
| South Carolina | Elliott Fry | SO | Placekicker |
| Stanford | David Parry | SR | Def. Tackle |
| Syracuse | Riley Dixon | SR | Punter |
| Texas A&M | Joshua Lambo | SR | Placekicker |
| Texas @ San Antonio | Sean Ianno | SR | Placekicker |
| Texas State | Charlie Will Tuttle | SR | Off. Guard |
| Toledo | Drake Fletcher | SR | Linebacker |
| UCLA | Librado Barocio | SR | Def. Back |
| UConn | Justin Wain | SO | Punter |
| Utah | Andy Phillips | SO | Kicker |
| Utah State | Utah State | SR | Linebacker |
| Wake Forest | Hunter Williams | JR | Linebacker |
| Washington State | Cyrus Coen | SR | Linebacker |
| West Virginia | Michael Molinari | SR | Punter |
| Wisconsin | Marcus Trotter | SR | Linebacker |
“As we enter our 5th year of the Burlsworth Trophy, I am again impressed by the quality of committed athletes that have been selected,” said Marty Burlsworth, CEO and founder of the Burlsworth Foundation and older brother of Brandon. “They each represent what the Burlsworth Trophy stands for: hard work, dedication to a sport and to their school and above all else, a commitment to excel at the highest level.”
Without one D1 scholarship offer, Brandon Burlsworth walked on to the Razorback team in 1994, worked his way to being 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 a banquet on Dec. 8th in Springdale, Ark. to honor the finalists and to announce the 2014 winner.
For more information about the Burlsworth Trophy, visit www.burlsworthtrophy.com.