PISCATAWAY, N.J. – OL Hollin Pierce represents Rutgers football on the list of Burlsworth Trophy nominees announced this week. The Trophy is given to the most outstanding football player who began his career as a walk-on and has shown outstanding performance on the field.

A native of Trenton, New Jersey, Pierce played basketball and football at Trenton Central High School as a junior and senior before lining up on the gridiron during a post-graduate season at Fork Union Military Academy in Virginia. He then enrolled at Rutgers in 2020, walking-on to the Scarlet Knights that season.

Pierce made strides in the offseason to earn the Mark Mills Second Effort Award as the most improved offensive player during 2021 spring practice. The offensive lineman earned a spot in the starting lineup week two at Syracuse and has started all 45 games since.

Pierce anchors left tackle for a Rutgers offensive line that recently claimed a spot on the Joe Moore Award Midseason Honor Roll. The Joe Moore Award annually honors the top offensive line in college football based on toughness, effort, teamwork, consistency, technique and finishing.

Pierce was named to the On3 Top 100 heading into the season and currently grades out as the 10^th-best offensive tackle nationally by Pro Football Focus. He was voted honorable mention All-Big Ten by the coaches and media in 2023 and is a two-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree.

The Burlsworth Trophy Award Show to honor the three finalists and to announce the 2024 winner will be on Dec. 9 in Bentonville, Arkansas.



Follow Rutgers football on X (@RFootball & @RUboardwalk), Facebook (/RFootballShow) and Instagram (@rfootball & @ruboardwalk) for the latest news and updates. Also subscribe to the YouTube channel.