Luke Brockermeyer, a University of Texas linebacker, has been nominated for the Burlsworth Trophy, awarded annually to a player who started his career as a walk-on.
The award will be presented Dec. 6 at Crystal Bridges Museum in Bentonville, Arkansas, Texas Sports reported.
Brockermeyer of Fort Worth joined the Longhorns in 2018 as a walk-on and received a scholarship in 2019, the story said. This season, Brockermeyer has started every game, with 59 tackles, five for a loss and two interceptions, Texas Sports said.
This year, 89 Division 1 players were nominated for the trophy in honor of the late Brandon Burlsworth, a former University of Arkansas Walk-On and All-American offensive lineman, the Burlsworth Foundation said in a news release.
"When Brandon Burlsworth arrived on campus in 1994, he had no money, no famous last name and absolutely no Division 1 scholarship offers," the foundation said on its website.
Burlsworth went on to be drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in 1999 but was killed in a car wreck 11 days later.
The University of Arkansas created an endowment in his name which awards 18 $5,000 academic scholarships and one $10,000 scholarship to walk-ons each year. The Brandon Burlsworth Foundation works on charitable projects such as free eye care to children from low-income families, its website said.
Nominees for the Burlsworth Trophy had to have started playing Division 1 football with no money from the athletic department, Texas Sports said.
Brockermeyer is the University of Texas's first nominee for the trophy, the story said. Both his grandfather and father played football for Texas and his mother graduated from there, ESPN reported.