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Eli Drinkwitz promotes Cody Schrader for Burlsworth Award: ‘I can’t think of a finer young man’
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Eli Drinkwitz is rooting for one of his players to take home a prestigious college football award.
The Burlsworth Award is given to the most outstanding player who started his career as a walk-on. Drinkwitz believes Cody Schrader is a prime candidate for the award.
Schrader, a running back, began his career at Missouri as a walk-on. He has gone on to become one of the SEC’s best running backs with 919 yards and 10 touchdowns on the season.
The award is named after Brandon Burlsworth, who started his career as a walk-on for Arkansas and eventually became an All-American.
“One of the great awards in college football, because it recognizes heart and mentality and toughness, and that’s exactly what Brandon was,” Drinkwitz said during the SEC coaches teleconference Wednesday. “He played at Harrison for Coach Tommy Tice, had many battles up there at Harrison … I think any time you can be associated with a great man like Brandon Burlsworth in the same breath, it’s an awesome thing, and I do think Cody Schrader fits the mold of what Brandon was all about. Toughness, work ethic, never handed anything, earned it all and then earned his way to play at an extremely high level, believe he was an All-American at Arkansas and obviously drafted by the Colts.”
Drinkwitz believe Schrader embodies everything that the award is about.
“Cody Schrader kind of does the same thing, he’s the leading rusher in the SEC right now, and has had to earn everything in his life and incredibly proud of him,” Drinkwitz said. “I can’t think of a finer young man who would be up for the Burlsworth Award than Cody Schrader.”
Since the award began in 2010, players like Stetson Bennet and Baker Mayfield have taken home the award. If Schrader earns it this year, it would put him in elite company.
