Courtesy of Ferris State Athletic Communications
MANHEIM, Pa. -– Ferris State University football senior defensive end Caleb Murphy has been named the winner of the 2022 Gene Upshaw Division II Lineman of the Year Award as announced Monday.
Murphy becomes the third-straight Bulldog to win the coveted award, joining former teammates and Bulldog alums Dylan Pasquali (2021) and Austin Edwards (2019).
The award, open to linemen on both sides of the ball, is voted on by the nation's NCAA Division II sports information directors. All nominees must be seniors or graduate players/transfers.
Also a finalist for the Harlon Hill Award as the D-II player of the year and the Ted Hendricks Award as the nation's top defensive end at any level, Murphy has been a gamewrecker for the Bulldogs totalling 87 tackles, 24.5 sacks, and 36 tackles for loss along with two forced fumbles in 2022. He has already been richly awarded this postseason with the D2CCA Super Region 3 Player of the Year and GLIAC Player of the Year awards as he not only leads NCAA Division II in sacks, but set the NCAA all-divisions single-season record with 24.5.
Murphy helped the Bulldogs win the 2021 NCAA Division II national championship and return to the 2022 semifinals after their win over rival Grand Valley State in the quarterfinals, a game in which Murphy had 10 tackles and 1.5 for loss.
Murphy and his Ferris State teammates will host West Florida in the NCAA Division II semifinals on Saturday, Dec. 10, facing off against another Upshaw finalist in the Argos' guard Dalton Simpler. The other national semifinal will also have two Upshaw Award finalists in Colorado School of Mines center Matt Armendariz and Shepherd offensive tackle Joey Fisher.
Ferris State has now had three consecutive Upshaw Award winners, joining Grand Valley State as the only two programs to have done so. The GLIAC now claims eight Upshaw Awards since its inception in 2004.
Murphy will receive an invitation to participate in front of professional scouts and coaches at the East-West Shrine Bowl in Las Vegas, Nev. on Feb. 2, and he will also be recognized at the Manheim Touchdown Club's annual banquet.
The NFL recognizes, endorses and supports the winner of the award by guaranteeing a place in the all-star games. The support comes as recognition and appreciation for the late Mr. Upshaw, who was not only an All-Pro lineman for the Oakland Raiders, but later served as the executive director of the NFL Players Association for 25 years. Upshaw, a former standout offensive lineman at Texas A&I University (now Texas A&M Kingsville), was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1987 in his first year of eligibility.
