EUGENE, Ore. – Oregon inside linebacker Bryce Boettcher was announced on Tuesday as one of three finalists for the Burlsworth Trophy, awarded annually to the nation’s most outstanding football player who began his career as a walk-on. Finalists will be honored and the winner of the 2024 Burlsworth Trophy will be announced on December 9 at 5 p.m. (PT) at Crystal Bridges Museum in Bentonville, Ark. Boettcher is joined by Shaun Dolac (Buffalo) and James Carpenter (Indiana) as finalists for the honor.
Boettcher is the first player in Oregon history to be named a Burlsworth Trophy finalist.
A dual-sport standout at Oregon in football and baseball, Boettcher joined the football team in 2022 and has worked his way into a starting linebacker role for the top-ranked Ducks as a senior. Boettcher leads the team with 69 total tackles through 11 games while adding 5.0 tackles for loss, a sack and an interception. Boettcher was named the Burlsworth Trophy Walk-On of the Week after Oregon’s 49-14 win at Oregon State on Sept. 14. The Eugene native finished the game with a career-high 11 total tackles, most by a Duck this season. A 13th-round pick by the Houston Astros in the 2024 MLB Draft, Boettcher hit .276 with a career-high 14 home runs and 48 RBI for the Oregon baseball team as a senior while becoming the fifth player in program history to be named to the ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove Team. Boettcher and the No. 1 Ducks (11-0, 8-0 Big Ten) are on a bye this weekend before closing the regular season against Washington on Saturday, Nov. 30, in Autzen Stadium.
