Nov. 24, 2015
UNIVERSITY PARK, PA. - Senior defensive end Carl Nassib (West Chester, Pa.) added another finalist honor to his resume as he is one of three finalists for the Burlsworth Trophy given to the most outstanding football player in America who began his career as a walk-on. Nassib and the other finalists will be honored at an awards banquet in Springdale, Arkansas on Monday, Dec. 7.
Previously, Nassib was named a finalist for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy for the Nation's Top Defensive Player and the Rotary Lombardi Award for the Nation's Top Lineman (offensive or defensive).
Nassib is the second Nittany Lion to be a finalist for the Burlsworth Trophy. Quarterback Matt McGloin won the award in 2012.
In addition to Nassib, Oklahoma Quarterback Baker Mayfield and Washington State Quarterback Luke Falk are also finalists.
The Burlsworth Trophy is named in honor of Brandon Burlsworth. Without one D1 scholarship offer, Brandon walked on to the Razorback team in 1994, worked his way to being 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.
Fans are allowed to vote for their favorite player via the "GREATER" Fan Vote. Voting can be accessed at www.burlsworthtrophy.com. Fans are limited to one vote per day, and the voting will conclude on Dec. 6 at 12:00 a.m. CST.
Nassib sprung onto the national scene this year and leads FBS in sacks (15.5), tackles for loss (19.5) and forced fumbles (6). He has recorded a sack the first 10 games this season and five multi-sack games. His streak came to an end against Michigan as he only played three snaps due to injury. With one sack at Northwestern, Nassib broke the Penn State single-season sacks record by upping his total to 15.5. He surpasses the mark of 15 sacks set by Larry Kubin (1979) and Michael Haynes (2002).
Additionally, Nassib's six forced fumbles this season are the most by a Penn State player since Haynes had a school-record seven in the 2002. Nassib is the first Penn State player to force two fumbles in two games in a season since Maurice Evans did it in 2007. Evans had two forced fumbles against Indiana and two forced fumbles against Texas A&M in the Alamo Bowl.
The West Chester, Pennsylvania native was recently named a semifinalist for the Lott IMPACT Trophy, which is given to a distinguished young men represent the qualities embodied by Hall of Famer Ronnie Lott -- Integrity, Maturity, Performance, Academics, Community and Tenacity. Additionally, he was also a midseason All-America choice by SI.com, ESPN.com, USAToday.com and CBS Sports.
The Nittany Lions are bowl eligible for the 46th time. Penn State's 45 bowl appearances are the ninth-most among FBS schools at the start of the season. The announcement of the bowl game and opponent will be announced Sunday, Dec. 6. Fans can visit Penn State's Bowl Central at GoPSUsports.com/bowlcentral for more information.