PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Long snapper Billy Taylor is Rutgers football's nominee for the Burlsworth Trophy, the organization announced this week. The Burlsworth Trophy is given to the most outstanding football player who began as a walk-on and has shown outstanding performance on the field.
 
Taylor joined the Scarlet Knights during training camp in 2017 and earned the top spot on the depth chart for the season opener, holding the position every game since. In last week's victory at Illinois, Taylor played in his 53^rd consecutive game, along with defensive lineman Julius Turner, to tie Scott Vallone for the RU program record for games played.
 
Taylor is a member of the Patrick Mannelly Award watch list, which honors the best FBS senior long snapper. Rutgers' punting unit leads the nation with a net average of 46.4, while the field goal team has nine makes on the season.
 
The Parsippany, New Jersey, native was a semifinalist for the 2020 William V. Campbell Trophy. The award recognizes an individual as the absolute best football scholar-athlete in the nation for his combined academic success, football performance and exemplary leadership. A finance major with a concentration in business analytics as an undergraduate, he is working towards his master's degree in financial analysis and worked internships with TD Bank and Mass Mutual/RU Financial. Taylor, the Scarlet Knights' Big Ten Sportsmanship Award winner in 2020, is a three-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree and three-time Big Ten Distinguished Scholar.
 
The Burlsworth Trophy will select three finalists and hold its award ceremony on Dec. 6 in Bentonville, Arkansas.
 
Rutgers (4-4) returns home to host Wisconsin (5-3) on Saturday at SHI Stadium. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. on Big Ten Network and the RWJBarnabas Health Rutgers Sports Network. The game is presented by Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey. Tickets are available at ScarletKnights.com.
 

"I'm just constantly trying to push myself and improve." - @billytaylor51 #CHOP https://t.co/KYJpKUSnYa

— Rutgers Scarlet Knights (@RUAthletics) October 28, 2021

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