FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - Fresno State senior captain Camryn Bracha has been announced as a nominee for the Burlsworth Trophy, the award given annually to the most outstanding football player in America who began his first season of participation with an FBS football program without financial aid of any kind from the University's athletic department.
Bracha is one of 79 nominees from across the country, and one of seven from the Mountain West.
Bracha joined the Bulldogs ahead of the 2023 season as a walk-on from Fresno City College. A Clovis native, Bracha did not have any offers out of high school and made the decision to attend the nearby junior college. When presented the opportunity to play for Fresno State, he couldn't decline.
He made an immediate impact in 2023, appearing in 11 games and earning four starts. He finished that season with 38 tackles, 3.0 TFL, 1.5 sacks and a pass breakup. He recorded at least one tackle in all 11 games played.
Ending 2023 on a high note and proving he was an impact player, Bracha was offered a scholarship in the Spring of 2024 after just one season with the Bulldogs. The start to the 2024 season didn't go as planned. After starting four games to begin the year, he suffered a season-ending injury in game four. With it being that fourth game, he was able to utilize a redshirt season and return as a redshirt senior in 2025. While sidelined with injury, Bracha didn't let the emotions get to him. He stuck around the program and continued to lead by example.
After rehabbing, he was cleared to return in the Spring of 2025. That next summer, he set the program record in the Bulldogs' annual Own Your House stadium run, touching every stair inside Valley Children's Stadium in record time. Bracha was voted a team captain by his teammates entering the season and has started every game on the year so far. He is third on the team with 33 tackles, and adds 2.5 TFL, two interceptions and a forced fumble.
"Even with all the changes in college football, the walk-on athlete is still enormously impactful," said Marty Burlsworth, President and CEO of the Burlsworth Trophy and older brother of Brandon Burlsworth. "All of these nominees have a passion for the game and that passion can spread throughout a team. That's what makes these guys special. College football is what it is today because of players that had a dream and were willing to put in the work to make their dreams come true."
The Burlsworth Trophy Award Show to honor the three finalists and to announce the 2025 winner will be on December 8, at 5:00 p.m. PT at Crystal Bridges Museum in Bentonville, Arkansas.