Matt McGloin took the podium with the best statistics, the best season and, perhaps, the best story.
He walked away from it with one of the most prestigious new trophies in college football.
On Monday afternoon, the West Scranton graduate and all-Big Ten honorable mention quarterback won the Burlsworth Award, which is given annually to the nation's top player who began his career as a walk-on. McGloin received the award during a ceremony at the Springdale Convention Center in Springdale, Ark. The award is presented by the Springdale Rotary Club, and McGloin beat out fellow finalists Michigan safety Jordan Kovacs and San Jose State offensive tackle David Quessenberry, as well as 47 others who were nominated for the award.
Despite a terrific career at West Scranton, during which he earned the Times-Tribune's Male Athlete of the Year award in 2008, McGloin didn't receive a scholarship offer from a school that competes in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision. Former coach Joe Paterno invited McGloin to be a preferred walk-on, and McGloin joined the Nittany Lions in the fall of 2008 as the fourth string quarterback behind starter Daryll Clark and backups Pat Devlin and Paul Cianciolo.
But McGloin climbed the depth chart quickly, being given a scholarship personally by Paterno in September of 2009. He served as the third-string quarterback in the Rose Bowl against USC on Jan. 1, 2009, and by the fall of 2010, he had surpassed four-star recruits like Rob Bolden, Kevin Newsome and Paul Jones to become the first former walk-on ever to start a game for Paterno.
The last quarterback to start a game for Paterno, McGloin was named Penn State's starter for the 2012 season by first-year coach Bill O'Brien in June. McGloin didn't disappoint him with his performance.
He'd go on to set nine school records - including passing yards in a season and most career 300-yard passing games - and tie another while leading Penn State to an 8-4 record.
The Burlsworth Trophy is named after former Arkansas guard Brandon Burlsworth, a one-time walk-on who became one of the SEC's best offensive linemen in the 1990s. He died in a car accident just days after the Indianapolis Colts selected him in the third round of the 1999 NFL Draft.
Contact the writer: dcollins@timesshamrock.com