BOONE, N.C. — App State team captain Jackson Greene, a safety and special teams standout, is one of 73 nominees for the Burlsworth Trophy that goes to the outstanding FBS player who began his career as a walk-on and has shown outstanding performance on the field.
A fifth-year redshirt junior playing for his hometown school, Greene has appeared in 43 career games for the Mountaineers. He made a career-high eight tackles Saturday in the win against Southern Miss, came up with a key interception in the second half of the season-opening win against Gardner-Webb and is a staple on all four App State special teams units (kick return, punt return, kickoff coverage, punt coverage).
Greene has accumulated more than 560 special teams plays in his career since arriving as a walk-on from nearby Watauga High School, and he has made three tackles on special teams already this season.
The Burlsworth Trophy is named in honor of Brandon Burlsworth, a former Arkansas walk-on and All-America offensive lineman whose life is the subject of the movie “Greater.” Without a single Division I scholarship offer, Burlsworth became a three-year starter at Arkansas and was eventually named an All-American in 1998.
He was selected with 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.
