Nov. 3, 2017
By Greg Ostendorf
AuburnTigers.com
AUBURN, Ala. ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" Earlier this week, Auburn wide receiver Will Hastings was one of 63 players nominated for the 2017 Burlsworth Trophy, an award given to the most outstanding college football player who began his career as a walk-on.
Hastings walked on at Auburn as a kicker in 2015, but the coaches chose to move him to wide receiver in July 2016, a month before his sophomore season. This season, after earning a scholarship in August, he's emerged as one of Auburn's top offensive weapons with 17 receptions for 357 yards and three touchdowns.
"I think having that [scholarship] has definitely made me feel confident," Hastings said. "I feel like I'm getting back to my high school roots where if something bad happens, they trust me enough to not just pull me out. Because last year, I was worried. I was like 'I'm still a walk-on. If I do something wrong, I'm walking on a tight rope.' Now I feel like they trust me enough that they're going to say, 'OK, he's going to get it done the next play.'"
Hastings has caught at least one pass in every game this season, and his best game came last month at LSU when he caught three passes for 65 yards and a touchdown.
This is the eighth year for the Burlsworth Trophy, which is named after former Arkansas walk-on and All-American offensive lineman Brandon Burlsworth. Previous winners of the award include Baker Mayfield, Justin Hardy and Matt McGloin.
Greg Ostendorf is a Senior Writer for AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: Follow @greg_ostendorf