Brad Lundblade Honored in New York as Finalist for William V. Campbell Trophy

Brad Lundblade has spent his first post-2017 football season week in New York as a finalist for the 2017 William V. Campbell Trophy which awards “the absolute best football scholar-athlete in the nation.”

Lundblade did not win the award, Micah Kiser from Virginia did, but Lundblade still received a $18,000 postgraduate scholarship, spoke on a panel and got to attend a dinner with Peyton Manning.

Here’s a look at the finalists.

“I actually had 11 Division I scholarship offers coming out of high school,” Lundblade said when he was asked about walking on at Oklahoma State.

“But I decided to walk on because Oklahoma State was my dream school and I really wanted to play there. It’s been a great journey. It took a lot of hard work. Coming in as a walk-on, you kind of start out at the bottom.

“It was definitely a process, climbed my way up. But I had some great guys ahead of me, some great seniors when I first came in who kind of showed me the ropes and helped me grow into that position. And it has been a great ride, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”

Center Brad Lundblade passed up 11 Division I offers to walk on at #okstate – hear what else he had to say at this morning's @NFFNetwork National Scholar-Athlete press conference #GoPokes pic.twitter.com/hxxzQYtHIp

— Cowboy Football (@CowboyFB) December 5, 2017

Lundblade has, of course, been a four-year starter alongside Mason Rudolph and will leave Stillwater as one of the winningest Oklahoma State players ever. He’s target No. 1 for us after the season for our podcast, as I think he’s one of the more intriguing players on this year’s team.

He was also asked this week about what it’s like to be a walk-on and why he spurned 11 offers to go to Stillwater, USA for his education.

“As a walk-on, I think one of the things that has to drive you is just a love for football,” said Lundblade. “You’re not on scholarship. You weren’t recruited. And, like I said, you kind of start out at the bottom. Starting out as a walk-on, it’s really just that fuel of loving football that drives you. And a lot of times I started out on scout teams. So for me those days are hard because you’re not playing.

“You’re just giving — you’re giving the starters looks. And you’re not getting playing time on game day. So I would say just a love for the game is important for walk-ons because those days are hard. And there’s a lot of days where you work and you grind on scout team and it’s not easy. But just a love for the game and love for teammates I’d say is the thing that always fueled me.”

Great stuff from one of the good ones to come through Oklahoma State in recent memory.