FAYETTEVILLE, AR - Sun Devil Football fullback/h-back Case Hatch is a nominee for the 2021 Burlsworth Trophy, the Burlsworth Trophy committee announced Tuesday.
The Burlsworth Trophy is given to the most outstanding football player in America who began his career as a Walk-On and has shown outstanding performance on the field. Each nominee must have begun his first season of participation with a FBS (D1) football program without financial aid of any kind from his university's athletic department.
Hatch is one of 88 players nominated from Division 1 (FBS) schools from across the country for the 2021 Burlsworth Trophy. In the award's twelfth year, the Trophy is named in honor of Brandon Burlsworth, former University of Arkansas Walk-On and All-American offensive lineman. The Burlsworth Trophy award ceremony to honor the three finalists and to announce the 2021 winner will on December 6th at 7:00pm CST at Crystal Bridges Museum in Bentonville, Arkansas.Before the ASU football team departed for Christmas, coach Herm Edwards had a surprise for walk-on Case Hatch. pic.twitter.com/YBZdPCOMeh
— Doug Haller (@DougHaller) December 24, 2019
"What a privilege it is to recognize these young men each year, those that chose to take on the challenge of beginning their college career as a Walk-On," said Marty Burlsworth, President and CEO of the Burlsworth Trophy and older brother of Brandon. "We are excited to celebrate the achievements of these 88 players nominated for the 2021 Burlsworth Trophy. These extraordinary young men have put in the work and have earned this honor."
A walk-on that joined the team prior to the 2019 season, Hatch earned a scholarship in December of 2019 prior to the Sun Devils' victory over Florida State in the Sun Bowl. He originally began his career at linebacker for the Sun Devils, but made the switch to a do-it-all full back/h-back role midway throughout his first season. During that campaign, Hatch played in all 13 games, serving in a variety of roles. He was a key member of several special teams' units in addition to seeing action as a reserve linebacker and eventually in a fullback role.This is a Case Hatch appreciation post. pic.twitter.com/5XQlzqI5te
— Sun Devil Football (@ASUFootball) October 6, 2021
During the 2019 season, Hatch collected 12 tackles, 10 of the solo variety. He made an impact when he forced a fumble on a special teams' tackle in a home matchup with Colorado. Midway through the season, he emerged as a viable option out of the backfield for the Sun Devils. Despite little experience in the role, Hatch had immediate success on offense, showing toughness and power as a blocker in the run game. This helped him earn the respect of his teammates, who were delighted when he made a key 26-yard reception in the Sun Bowl victory over Florida State.
This led to him being voted a team captain in only his second year in Tempe. He played in all four games in 2020, with his responsibilities as a fullback continuing to expand. He made three tackles on special teams and joined in on the fun in the 70-7 victory over Arizona, hauling in two passes for 29 yards.
Hatch was voted a captain once again in 2021, making him a two-time captain. So far this season, Hatch has garnered national attention for his blocking ability, serving as a lead blocker for several touchdown runs. He has seen his snap count continue to increase in his third season, contributing with one catch for nine yards against Colorado. He also has made two tackles on special teams, although his impact can't be measured by statistics. As one of the leaders of the team, he sets an example in the weight room and film room, which has been translating to the playing field.
Great things happen when Case Hatch is your lead blocker. ??@3_chaad extends the lead to 16! pic.twitter.com/zLs1WDzHm8
— Sun Devil Football (@ASUFootball) October 3, 2021
Current Sun Devil placekicker Cristian Zendejas, as well as former long snapper Mitchell Frabroni and defensive back Jordan Simone are former a few of the notable past Burlworth Trophy Nominees.
Catch Case Hatch and the rest of the Sun Devils return to action on Saturday, Nov. 6th at 7:30 pm when they host USC on ESPN. Dave Fleming, Rod Gilmore, and Stormy Buonantony are on the call. You can also listen to the game on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM.
Full list of 2021 Burlsworth Trophy Nominees:
| School | Grade | Player | Position |
| Arizona State | JR | Case Hatch | FB/TE |
| Appalachian State | SR | Caleb Spurlin | DE/HB |
| Arizona | JR | Stanley Berryhill III | WR |
| Arkansas | SR | Grant Morgan | LB |
| Arkansas State | JR | Blake Grupe | K |
| Auburn | SR | Barton Lester | LB |
| Ball State | SR | Cody Rudy | FB |
| Bowling Green | SR | Nate Needham | PK |
| Buffalo | SR | Jack Klenk | OL |
| California | SR | Jake Tonges | TE |
| Central Florida | SR | Anthony Montalvo | DT/DE |
| Central Michigan | SR | Troy Hairston | DE |
| Charlotte | SR | Chris Reynolds | QB |
| Cincinnati | SR | Ryan Royer | LB |
| Coastal Carolina | SR | CJ Schrimpf | LS |
| Colorado | JR | Brady Russell | TE |
| Colorado State | SR | Thomas Pannunzio | DB |
| Duke | SR | Jackson Hubbard | H |
| East Carolina | Soph | Tyler Snead | WR |
| Eastern Michigan | JR | Hassan Beydoun | WR |
| Florida | JR | Marco Ortiz | LS |
| Florida Atlantic | RSF | Nicholas Marino | LS |
| Florida State | RSF | Treshaun Ward | RB |
| Fresno State | JR | Erik Brooks | WR |
| Georgia | SR | Stetson Bennett | QB |
| Georgia State | SR | Tucker Gregg | RB |
| Georgia Tech | SR | Djimon Brooks | DL |
| Hawaii | JR | Eliki Tanuvasa | OL |
| Illinois | SR | Donny Navarro III | WR |
| Indiana | JR | Davion Ervin-Poindexter | RB |
| Iowa | SR | Jack Koerner | S |
| Iowa State | SR | Derek Schweiger | OL |
| Kansas State | SR | Landry Weber | WR |
| Kentucky | SR | Matthew Ruffolo | PK |
| Liberty | SR | Thomas Sargeant | OL |
| Louisiana | JR | Shane Vallot | C |
| Louisiana Tech | SR | Ezekiel Barnett | LB |
| Marshall | SR | Nazeeh Johnson | S |
| Maryland | SR | Greg Rose | DL |
| Memphis | SR | Calvin Austin III | WR |
| Michigan | SR | Andrew Vastardis | C |
| Middle Tennessee State | JR | Chase Cunningham | QB |
| Minnesota | SR | Jordan Howden | DB |
| Mississippi | SR | Mark Robinson | LB |
| Mississippi State | JR | Christian Ford | WR |
| Missouri | SR | Barrett Banister | WR |
| Nebraska | Soph | Luke Reimer | LB |
| Nevada | SR | Sam Hammond | DE |
| New Mexico | RSF | Cody Moon | LB |
| North Carolina State | SR | Thayer Thomas | WR |
| Northern Illinois | SR | Matt Ference | P |
| Northwestern | SR | Chris Bergin | LB |
| Ohio State | SR | Mitch Rossi | TE |
| Oklahoma | JR | Drake Stoops | WR |
| Old Dominion | Soph | Leroy Thomas | RG |
| Oregon | JR | Ryan Walk | RG/C |
| Oregon State | JR | Jaydon Grant | DB |
| Penn State | SR | Chris Stoll | LS |
| Rice | JR | Campbell Riddle | LS |
| Rutgers | SR | Billy Taylor | LS |
| San Diego State | SR | Segun Olubi | LB |
| San Jose State | SR | Trevor Robbins | OL |
| SMU | QB | Derek Green | QB |
| South Carolina | SR | Jaylan Foster | S |
| Stanford | SR | Brycen Tremayne | WR |
| Syracuse | SR | Andre Szymt | PK |
| Tennessee | Soph | Dayne Davis | OL |
| Texas | JR | Luke Brockermeyer | LB |
| Texas A & M | JR | Connor Choate | DS |
| Texas State | JR | Chandler Speights | WR |
| Toledo | Soph | Devin Maddox | WR/PR |
| Troy | SR | Carlton Martial | LB |
| Tulane | SR | Merek Glover | K |
| Tulsa | SR | Zack Long (Zachary) | PK |
| UAB | SR | Hayden Pittman | TE |
| UCLA | JR | Greg Dulcich | TE |
| UNLV | SR | Daniel Gutierrez | PK |
| Utah | Fresh | Karene Reid | LB |
| Utah State | SR | Nick Heninger | DE |
| UTSA | SR | Hunter Duplessis | PK |
| Virginia | JR | Brendan Farrell | PK |
| Wake Forest | Fresh | Nick Andersen | DB |
| Washington | SR | Race Porter | P |
| Washington State | SR | Armani Marsh | N |
| West Virginia | JR | Casey Legg | K |
| Western Kentucky | JR | Joey Beljan | TE |
| Wisconsin | SR | Matt Henningsen | DE |
| Wyoming | SR | Garrett Crall | DE |