FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Old Dominion University senior defensive end Bunmi Rotimi was nominated for the Brandon Burlsworth Trophy, given to the best FBS player that started his career as a walk-on. In the award’s eighth year, the Trophy is named in honor of Brandon Burlsworth, former University of Arkansas Walk-On and All-American offensive lineman. Rotimi is one of 63 players nominated for the award.
A native of Alexandria, Virginia, Rotimi has 24 tackles and is second on the squad with 5.5 sacks and third with six tackles for loss. He has played in seven games with six starts. He missed a pair of games earlier in the year with an injury.
Rotimi is ODU’s career leader in sacks with 19 and is fifth in career tackles for loss with 24.5.
Brandon Burlsworth Trophy Nominees
| Player | School | Position |
| Andrew Hauser | Akron | LB |
| Christian Boettcher | Arizona | OL |
| Jacob Brimhall | Arizona State | RB |
| Kevin Richardson II | Arkansas | DB |
| Johnston White | Arkansas State | RB |
| Will Hastings | Auburn | WR |
| Connor Martin | Baylor | K/P |
| Leighton Vander Esch | Boise State | LB |
| Jake Suder | Bowling Green | K |
| Brayden El-Bakri | BYU | FB |
| Demone Harris | Buffalo | DE |
| Patrick Laird | California | RB |
| Ryan Moeller | Colorado | S/OLB |
| Adam Prentice | Colorado State | FB |
| Jaron Johnson | Eastern Michigan | WR |
| Kainte Anderson | East Carolina | DE |
| Antonyo Woods | Florida Atlantic | OL |
| Bryce Canady | FIU | DB |
| Jared Jackson | Florida State | WR |
| Josh Hokit | Fresno State | RB |
| Aaron Davis | Georgia | DB |
| Linell Bonner | Houston | WR |
| Luke Timian | Indiana | WR |
| Brandon Snyder | Iowa | DB |
| Trent Tanking | Kansas State | LB |
| Charles Walker | Kentucky | WR/PR |
| Malik Gant | Marshall | S |
| Anthony Miller | Memphis | WR |
| Michael Badgley | Miami (Fla.) | K |
| Emmett Carpenter | Minnesota | K |
| Dawson Knox | Ole Miss | TE |
| Jace Christmann | Mississippi State | K |
| Jordan Harold | Missouri | DE |
| Chris Weber | Nebraska | LB |
| Austin Corbett | Nevada | OL |
| Jake Rothschiller | New Mexico | DB |
| Cole Holcomb | North Carolina | LB |
| Elijaah Goins | Ohio State | WR |
| Baker Mayfield | Oklahoma | QB |
| Brad Lundblade | Oklahoma State | OL |
| Bunmi Rotimi | Old Dominion | DE |
| Kahale Waring | San Diego State | TE |
| Michael Carrizosa | San Jose State | P/K |
| Sam Harris | South Alabama | WR |
| Hayden Hurst | South Carolina | TE |
| Reid Budrovich | USC | P |
| Cole Murphy | Syracuse | K |
| Trevor Daniel | Tennessee | P |
| Jack Linch | Toledo | LB |
| Evan Plagg | Tulsa | OL |
| Tevin Crews | UAB | LB |
| Giovanni Gentosi | UCLA | RB |
| Braelon Roberts | Utah State | WR |
| Dalton Sturm | UTSA | QB |
| Steven Peoples | Virginia Tech | RB |
| Grant Dawson | Wake Forest | LB |
| Luke Falk | Washington State | QB |
| Shane Commodore | West Virginia | S |
| Deon Yelder | WKU | TE |
| DeShawn Foster | Western Michigan | DL |
| Troy Fumagalli | Wisconsin | TE |