Tulane’s William Hudlow Named as Candidate for Burlsworth Trophy

In today’s age of college football, the notion of walk-ons shrinks more by the year, but the Tulane Green Wave have a solid contingent of guys who worked their way up from walking on to the field to becoming important, critical members of the football team.

One of those is punter William Hudlow, and the redshirt junior was recently named a 2026 nominee for the Burlsworth Trophy on Nov. 3.

The award looks to honor college football players who began their careers as walk-ons and have made a name for themselves through their “performance, determination, and perseverance.”

Hudlow is one of 65 candidates named for the award in its 17th edition. It is named after Brandon Burlsworth, who walked on at the University of Arkansas and went on to become a First Team All-American offensive lineman and, eventually, the No. 63 overall pick in the 1999 NFL draft.

Marty Burlsworth, Brandon’s older brother and President and CEO of the Burlsworth Trophy, thinks there’s still an important spot in this space for the walk-on athlete and the role he plays in today’s game.

Unlike those who were heavily recruited and were thrown a lot of NIL money up front, walk-ons have to overcome a lot more to get an opportunity and stick around.

In order to be eligible for the award, a player must have begun his career at the NCAA FBS level without any form of financial assistance from the academic department.

Players as nominated by FBS head coaches, who can each select one player of their choosing.

It’s quite fitting for it to be Hudlow after starting with the program in 2023, sticking around now through two head coaching changes, and landing his shot as the team’s primary punter for the 2026 season, where he’s been a gamechanger in several moments.

He is currently averaging 47 yards per punt, has had 11 of 38 attempts land inside the 20 at a 29 percent rate, and has had 18 go for 50 yards of more – which is 47 percent, nearly half of his total punts.

His punting average is highly impressive, second only to Ryan Wright in Tulane history, who is now punting on Sundays for the New Orleans Saints.

Hudlow’s average leads the American Conference and is good for seventh nationally.

Special teams has been such a critical element for the Green Wave this season, and Hudlow has been a large part of that as Tulane gets set for their homecoming game against the Tulsa Golden Hurricane.