Penn State football linebacker was named as a nominee for the 2023 Burlsworth Trophy on Tuesday.

The Burlsworth Trophy is an annual award presented to the nation’s best college football player who began their career as a walk-on. In order to be eligible for the trophy, a player must have not received any financial assistance from the athletic department at the start of their collegiate career.

The trophy was created in 2010 in honor of Brandon Burlsworth, an offensive lineman who was also a walk-on at Arkansas. During his time there, Burlsworth earned an athletic scholarship and All-American honors. In the 1999 NFL Draft, he was selected by the Indianapolis Colts but died in a car accident before his professional career could begin.

DeLuca is a redshirt sophomore who played in just three games during his 2021 campaign as a true freshman at Penn State. The very next season, DeLuca appeared in all 13 games for the Nittany Lions. This year, he’s racked up quite the stat line that includes 18 total tackles, two forced fumbles, one interception, and a sack.

DeLuca joins Illinois’ Tip Reiman, Indiana’s Trey Walker, Iowa’s Joe Evans, Michigan’s Max Bredeson, Minnesota’s Dragan Kesich, Nebraska’s Phalen Sanford, Ohio State’s Brenton Jones, Purdue’s Devin Mockobee, and Rutgers’ Christian Dremel on the list of nominees from the Big Ten.

Former Penn State quarterback Matt McGloin received the trophy in 2012 and defensive lineman Carl Nassib was a runner-up in 2015.