USC quarterback Perry Orth nominated for national award

South Carolina redshirt junior quarterback Perry Orth is one of 55 players nominated for the Burlsworth Trophy.

The award recognizes the nation’s best walk-on student-athlete.

This season, Orth has completed 89-of-166 passes for 1,180 yards with seven touchdowns and six interceptions. He has also carried the ball 36 times for 66 yards and a pair of scores.

Orth came to Columbia as a walk-on to the football program in the spring of 2013 after spending the fall semester at Florida State College, a community college in Jacksonville. He began his career listed sixth on the Carolina depth chart at quarterback. He saw brief game action in both 2013 and 2014, twice earning Most Improved Quarterback honors during spring ball, before earning a scholarship and becoming the team’s starting quarterback in 2015.

A walk-on is defined as a player who began his first season of participation with a D1 (FBS) football program without financial aid of any kind from his university’s athletics department.

The trophy is named in honor of former University of Arkansas walk-on and All-American offensive lineman Brandon Burlsworth.

Springdale (Ark.) Rotary Club sponsors the honor and will host an awards ceremony on Dec. 7 to honor the three finalists and announce the 2015 winner.

This story was originally published November 10, 2015 at 3:48 PM with the headline "USC quarterback Perry Orth nominated for national award."