FAYETTEVILLE Ark. — UTSA sophomore place-kicker Jared Sackett has been announced as a nominee for the Burlsworth Trophy by the Springdale Rotary Club.

The Burlsworth Trophy is given to the most outstanding football player in America who began his career as a walk-on and has shown outstanding performance on the field. Each nominee must have begun his first season of participation with a Football Bowl Subdivision program without financial aid of any kind from his university's athletics department.

A member of the Lou Groza Award watch list who joined the Roadrunners as a walk-on in 2017 and now is on scholarship, Sackett is 13-for-16 on field goals, including 9-of-12 from 40-plus yards, and he has made all 14 extra-point attempts this season. The Fort Worth native ranks second in Conference USA and 13th in the FBS in field goals per game (1.63) and fourth in the league and 29th nationally in field-goal percentage (.813).

Sackett earned C-USA Special Teams Player of the Week honors on Sept. 24 after making all of his three attempts — all from 40-or-more yards — in the 25-21 win against Texas State. The Timber Creek High School product also garnered Lou Groza Award Star of the Week accolades one week later after hitting three field goals, including a career-long 51-yarder as time expired in the first half of the 30-21 win over UTEP.

The UTSA single-season record holder with 19 field goals last fall, Sackett collected USA TODAY Freshman All-America, C-USA All-Freshman and honorable mention all-conference certificates and was a Lou Groza Award semifinalist. He ranks second on UTSA's all-time list for field goals with 32 and for points by a kicker with 133.

Now in its ninth year, the Burlsworth Trophy is named in honor of former Arkansas offensive lineman Brandon Burlsworth, whoselife is also the subject of the major motion picture "GREATER" released in 2016. Without one NCAA Division I scholarship offer, Burlsworth walked on at 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.

"We are now in our ninth year of this award and I'm amazed at the inspiring stories we hear each year," said Marty Burlsworth, CEO and founder of the Brandon Burlsworth Foundation and older brother of Brandon. "Beginning your college career as a walk-on is certainly not an easy thing to do. These young men accepted that challenge, when others told them 'you can't' they said 'I can!'"

The Brandon Burlsworth Foundation, in conjunction with Springdale Rotary Club, will host an awards ceremony on Dec. 3 in Springdale, Ark., to honor the three finalists and to announce the 2018 winner.

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