Arkansas football player wins 2021 Burlsworth Trophy

Winning the Burlsworth Trophy is always special, but the 2021 recipient has a particularly notable connection to the award’s namesake.

On Monday, Arkansas linebacker Grant Morgan became this season’s winner of the award, an honor given to the nation’s best player that began his career as a walk-on. 

He is BURLSWORTHY!!!!

Congratulations to 2021 Burlsworth Trophy winner @grantmorgan15! pic.twitter.com/v2Uezzvf6q

— Arkansas Razorback Football (@RazorbackFB) December 7, 2021

The trophy is named after Brandon Burlsworth, a former Arkansas walk-on who moved up the ladder at offensive line to become a three-year starter. An All-American in his final season in 1998, Burlsworthy was selected with the No. 63 overall pick in the NFL Draft. He tragically died in a car accident 11 days later.

Morgan is the first Arkansas player to win the award, and he is the second defensive player to earn the honor since the award’s creation in 2010.

He arrived in Fayetteville as a preferred walk-on in 2016 and has been on scholarship since 2018. Morgan is a two-time captain and one of the “super seniors” this year — players who stuck around college football for an extra season due to the COVID-19 blanket eligibility waiver. 

He finished the 2021 regular season with 96 tackles and seven tackles for loss. Over a total of five seasons with Arkansas, Morgan posted 307 tackles, 23.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks. He added two interceptions as well, including a pick-six in 2020.

The other two finalists for the award this season were Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett and Troy linebacker Carlton Martial. The trophy was presented in Bentonville, Ark.

Razorbacks headed to Outback Bowl

Arkansas finished No. 21 in the final College Football Playoff Rankings and will conclude their 2021 campaign in Tampa at the Outback Bowl. They will face Penn State, and it is the first time the teams have ever met. 

Head coach Sam Pittman and his strong offensive line, which allowed the Razorbacks to rush for over 200 yards per game this year, will look to dominate the trenches against one of the Big Ten’s better defenses. Notably, former Penn State defensive coordinator Brent Pry has already departed Happy Valley to become the head coach at Virginia Tech, and safeties coach Anthony Poindexter is the top candidate to take the head coaching job at his alma mater, Virginia.

The Razorbacks are a 2.5-point underdog to the Nittany Lions in their first bowl game since 2016. The two teams have a common data point from this season; both Arkansas and Penn State played Auburn this year. Arkansas fell 38-23 on Oct. 16, while Penn State beat the Tigers 28-20 on Sept. 18 in Happy Valley.

The 8-4 Razorbacks are seeking their first season with nine or more wins since 2011. The game kicks off at noon ET on Jan. 1 on ESPN2.