Ole Miss’ Mac Brown Named Burlsworth Trophy Nominee

Ole Miss senior punter Mac Brown was one of 67 players nominated from NCAA Division I (FBS) schools across the nation for the 2020 Burlsworth Trophy, as announced Tuesday by the Brandon Burlsworth Foundation.
 
The Burlsworth Trophy is given to the most outstanding football player in American who began his career as a walk-on and has shown outstanding performance on the field. This is the second straight year that Brown has been nominated for the award.
 
On the season, Brown has punted 21 times for an average of 46.3 yards per punt, including a long of 59 yards. Nine of his punts have gone for more than 50 yards and he’s forced eight fair catches.

The Eden Prairie, Minnesota, native also excels off the field. Brown, a 2020 Wuerffel Trophy semifinalist, has raised over $101,000 for ALS research through Mac Brown’s Awesome Lemonade Stand. When he was in seventh grade, Brown had a modest goal of raising $500 for a childhood friend’s dad who had been diagnosed with ALS. Along with a group of neighborhood friends, Brown started a lemonade stand to help his friend’s family. The fundraiser is held in June of every year and this year’s virtual fundraiser raised more than $30,000 alone.
 
The Burlsworth Trophy is named in honor of Brandon Burlsworth, former University of Arkansas walk-on and offensive lineman. Burlsworth 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. 
 
An awards ceremony virtually on January 4, 2021 to honor the three finalists and to announce the 2020 winner.