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Arkansas linebacker Grant Morgan was named one of 10 semifinalists for the Burlsworth Trophy, the award announced Tuesday.
The fifth-year senior joins punter Toby Baker in 2016 as the only two Razorbacks to be among the final 10 candidates for the trophy presented annually to the country’s best player who began his career as a walk-on.
In his first year as a starter, Morgan was voted a team captain and has put together a tremendous season at middle linebacker. Until an injury against Missouri sidelined him, he was the country’s leading tackler and had been a consistent playmaker for Arkansas’ defense.
The award is named after former Arkansas offensive lineman Brandon Burlsworth, a Harrison native who began his career as a walk-on before evolving into an All-SEC guard and tragically died in a car accident shortly after being selected in the 1999 NFL Draft.
Three finalists for the award will be announced Dec. 22, with the winner revealed in a virtual ceremony on Jan. 4.
Here’s a look at how Morgan’s resume stacks up with the other nine semifinalists…
Calvin Austin III
School: Memphis
Position: Wide receiver
Class: Junior
Stats: 10 games, 60 receptions, 1,025 yards, 10 TD; 18 punt returns, 185 yards (10.3 avg.), 1 TD
PFF Grade (snaps): 75.8 (668) / PR - 77.5 (40)
Also an All-American sprinter on the Tigers’ track and field team, Austin earned first-team All-AAC honors as a wide receiver this year. He had a school-record five straight games with at least 100 yards receiving, including a 121-yard effort against No. 6 Cincinnati - making him the only player with a 100-yard game against the Bearcats.
His 1,025 receiving yards rank ninth nationally, while his 10 touchdown catches are tied for fifth most. Austin has been Memphis’ primary punt returner, as well, and had a 64-yard punt return for a touchdown against Stephen F. Austin.
Chris Bergin
School: Northwestern
Position: Linebacker
Class: Senior
Stats: 7 games, 58 tackles (29 solo), 3.5 TFL, 1 INT, 4 PBU, 1 QBH
PFF Grade (snaps): 73.3 (376) / ST - 72.9 (112)
Turning down offers from service academies and MAC programs, Bergin quickly became a starter at Northwestern and is part of the top-20 Wildcats’ senior trio of linebackers nicknamed “The Firm.” His 58 tackles rank third among that group, but more impressively, he has just three missed tackles in seven games, according to Pro Football Focus. Bergin has continued playing special teams, as well, with 112 total snaps across the kickoff coverage, punt coverage, punt return and field goal/PAT block units - on which he’s totaled seven tackles.
Keith Duncan
School: Iowa
Position: Kicker
Class: Senior
Stats: 8 games, 14 of 18 FG, long of 48 yards, 26 of 26 PAT
PFF Grade (snaps): 80.2 (44)
Duncan had a dream season in 2019, earning a scholarship after making the game-winning field goal at Nebraska and making a Big Ten-record 29 field goals. That helped him earn consensus All-America and Big Ten Kicker of the Year honors, as well as be named one of three finalists for the Lou Groza Award.
He’s been solid once again in 2020, but not quite as good. He’s missed all three of his field goal attempts from 50-plus yards and also didn’t connect on a 37-yarder.
Carlton Martial
School: Troy
Position: Linebacker
Class: Junior
Stats: 11 games, 113 tackles (54 solo), 10 TFL, 1 sack, 1 INT, 3 PBU, 2 QBH
PFF Grade (snaps): 81.5 (713) / ST - 70.2 (77)
Earning a scholarship before his redshirt freshman season, Martial went on to make several Freshman All-America teams in 2018 and was a first-team All-Sun Belt selection in 2019. That helped him land on Walter Camp’s Preseason All-America team and he’s lived up to the hype.
His 113 tackles lead the FBS, plus he’s done a little bit of everything with 10 tackles for loss, one sack, an interception and three pass breakups. Martial’s best performance came in Troy’s near upset win over undefeated and top-10 Coastal Carolina, when he made 21 tackles - including 2.5 for loss and one sack - and had an interception.
Among the 96 FBS linebackers who’ve played at least 500 snaps this season, Martial’s 81.5 grade ranks third, according to Pro Football Focus.
Dax Milne
School: BYU
Position: Wide receiver
Class: Junior
Stats: 11 games, 63 receptions, 1,118 yards, 8 TD; 10 carries, 60 yards; 7 punt returns, 3 yards
PFF Grade (snaps): 89.3 (498) / PR - 53.4 (32)
A native of Utah who earned a scholarship following his sophomore year, Milne has been a major part of No. 14 BYU’s offense this season. He had a monster performance in a comeback win at Houston, catching nine passes for 184 yards and three touchdowns.
His 63 receptions are eighth nationally, while his 1,118 yards rank fourth in the FBS. Those numbers have helped him also be named a semifinalist for the Biletnikoff Award.
Grant Morgan
School: Arkansas
Position: Linebacker
Class: Senior
Stats: 9 games, 111 tackles (40 solo), 7.5 TFL, 2 sacks, 1 INT, 5 PBU, 2 QBH
PFF Grade (snaps): 73.4 (662) / ST - 60.8 (74)
Following in the footsteps of his older brother, Morgan was an unheralded recruit coming out of Greenwood and ultimately decided to come to Arkansas as a walk-on. After redshirting in 2016, he spent three years as a special teams ace and backup linebacker, earning a scholarship before the 2018 season.
Finally given an opportunity to start, Morgan not only put together an All-SEC worthy campaign but one of the best ever by an Arkansas linebacker. Until an injury sidelined him in the Missouri game, he led the country with 111 tackles and his 12.3 tackles per game still rank second nationally.
Morgan’s biggest moment of the season came in the Razorbacks’ win over Ole Miss. In addition to his 19 tackles, which included three for loss and one sack, he also had a pair of pass breakups and a game-sealing pick-six - all despite playing with essentially one arm because of a brace on his arm to protect an elbow injury.
Jimmy Morrissey
School: Pitt
Position: Center
Class: Senior
Stats: 11 games (11 starts)
PFF Grade (snaps): 68.2 (807)
After winning the starting job as a redshirt freshman, Morrissey was awarded a scholarship and never looked back. He’s started all 47 games in which he’s appeared and was a first-team All-ACC selection last season.
Playing more than 94 percent of the Panthers’ offensive snaps, he committed just two penalties. Both of those came against Boston College, when he slid over to right guard for the first time since his freshman year of high school to fill in for an injured teammate. According to Pro Football Focus, he allowed 19 total pressures this year (3 sacks, 4 QB hits and 12 hurries) while posting a 63.8 pass-blocking grade and also earned a 68.7 run-blocking grade.
Ry Schneider
School: Oklahoma State
Position: Center
Class: Senior
Stats: 10 games (10 starts)
PFF Grade (snaps): 69.4 (705)
From a small town in Oklahoma, Schneider turned down multiple Division II offers to follow his dream of playing at Oklahoma State. It paid off, as he evolved from a spot starter into a full-time starter this year. In 705 total snaps, Schneider has committed three penalties and allowed only one sack and seven hurries, according to Pro Football Focus.
That has resulted in an impressive 82.1 pass-blocking grade to go along with a 63.9 run-blocking mark. His overall 69.4 grade is remarkable considering he struggled at the beginning of the year, with a sub-60 grade in three of the Cowboys’ first four games - including against Tulsa. Schneider has been much better since then, posting six straight grades of 64-plus, including 79.4 and 80.8 marks against Texas Tech and TCU, respectively, in back-to-back games.
Will Spiers
School: Clemson
Position: Punter
Class: Senior
Stats: 10 games, 37 punts, 44.1-yard average, 10 fair caught, 13 pinned inside the 20-yard line, 3 touchbacks, 10 of 50-plus yards
PFF Grade (snaps): 60.5 (38)
Now in his fourth year as Clemson’s starting punter, Spiers has been part of the Tigers’ recent dynasty. It’s been his best year yet in terms of punting yardage, as his 44.1-yard average is second in school history and within striking distance of the single-season record of 44.5 yards set by Chris Gardocki in 1990, plus more than one-third of his attempts have been pinned inside the 20.
However, Pro Football Focus does not view him in high regard. His 60.5 punter grade ranks 13th out of 15 ACC punters, while his net average of 39.8 yards ranks eighth and his average hang time of 3.59 seconds ranks 14th.
Sam Thompson
School: Coastal Carolina
Position: Center
Class: Senior
Stats: 11 games (11 starts)
PFF Grade (snaps): 63.4 (719)
Standing just 5-foot-9, 290 pounds, Thompson didn’t have any FBS or FCS offers coming out of high school and actually spent his first semester at Coastal Carolina as a regular student before joining the football team as a walk-on.
Now a fifth-year senior, he has started all 11 games for the undefeated, top-10 Chanticleers and committed just one penalty in 719 snaps. According to Pro Football Focus, he’s allowed seven total pressures (one sack, one QB hit and five hurries) - with four of those coming in Coastal Carolina’s two games against ranked opponents (Louisiana and BYU). Thompson still has an impressive 77.5 pass-blocking grade, though, to go along with a below-average 58.8 run-blocking grade.
