Which is awarded to the best college football player who began on?

16 of the best walk-ons in college football history

Here are 16 of the most a success walk-ons from the BCS generation (1998-2014) to present. Some have received the Burlsworth Trophy, that's offered to the satisfactory university football participant who began as a stroll-on.

Usually walk-ons fly under the radar. But for the reason that inception of the Burlsworth Trophy, extra notoriety is given to college football's walk-ons. None has been extra famous than the 2015 and 2016 Burlsworth Trophy winner: Baker Mayfield. The 2018 NFL the Daily NCAA Draft's first normal pick started out his career as a second-string quarterback at Texas Tech.

He forgoed scholarship gives from Washington State, Rice, New Mexico and Florida Atlantic to stroll-on at Texas Tech.

Before the start of the 2013 season the Red Raiders' projected starter, Michael Brewer, became out with an injury. Mayfield, a freshman on the time, took the baton and ran away with it. In the primary sport of the season, he passed for 413 yards and four touchdowns towards Southern Methodist University. He broke a college report held by means of Billy Joe Tolliver, finishing 43-of-60 attempted passes. He's thought to be the primary walk-on real freshman in FBS records to begin the primary sport of the ordinary season.

I want to've gone to an area like Florida Atlantic, however my dad driven me to understand that my dream changed into to play somewhere huge, Mayfield advised ESPN in 2016.

After the 2013 season, he enrolled at Oklahoma and walked on for the Sooners. Winning the starting role in 2015 caused a Heisman-quality season. He finished fourth in Heisman vote casting with 3,seven-hundred passing yards, 36 touchdowns and seven interceptions. Oklahoma reached the College Football Playoff however lost 37-17 to Clemson.

His time for the national degree became here. In 2017, Mayfield won the Heisman Trophy with 86 of the vote after completing 285-of-404 attempted passes for 4,627 yards, 43 touchdowns and 6 interceptions. He led the Sooners to another CFP semifinal, but misplaced 54-forty eight to Georgia.

As a little boy, Stetson Bennett IV dreamed of being the unequivocal beginning quarterback at Georgia. On 9/11, 2021, that dream have become a reality. Stetson and the Bulldogs took the sector against UAB simply hours after starter JT Daniels changed into deemed out because of an indirect damage.

He completed his first five passes for 245 yards and 4 touchdowns, in the end ending the lean with five touchdowns, tying the faculty report for landing passes in a recreation. From that day forward, educate Kirby Smart depended on that Bennett changed into their QB1. The relaxation is history.

Bennett would lead Georgia to the 2021 CFP national championship, beating Alabama 33-18 in a rematch of the SEC championship. The Bulldogs completed the season 14-1 with Bennett incomes Offensive Player of the Game honors at the Orange Bowl (CFP semifinal) and CFP identify sport.

After taking walks on at Georgia in 2017, Bennett left the program the following season for a starting activity at Jones County Junior College (MS). There, he threw sixteen touchdowns for 1,840 yards. Georgia got here calling for Stetson shortly after, this time providing him a scholarship offer. Backup quarterback changed into his primary function till that exquisite fifty six-7 win over UAB in 2021. Now he's a national champion for all time.

The next guy up occasionally takes place after a teammate's injury. Luke Falk found himself in that situation in 2014 after Washington State's Connor Halliday fell to an damage. A stroll-on in 2013, Falk became the backup quarterback in 2014, and began the very last three video games of the season.

In his first profession begin, he captured the highlight, throwing for 471 yards and 5 touchdowns and earning Pac-12 offensive participant and countrywide quarterback of the week honors.

Named the starter in 2015, he guided the Cougars to a 9-4 file with a Sun Bowl 20-14 win over Miami. His numbers had been wonderful that season, main the state in passing yards consistent with sport (380.5) and coming in 2d inside the country in bypass crowning glory percent (sixty nine.Forty five) with first crew All-Pac-12 honors. college football schedule

A week before Falk turned into offered the 2017 Burlsworth Trophy, he became the all-time report holder for touchdown passes in Pac-12 records, surpassing Southern California's Matt Barkley.