Courtesy of Ferris State Athletic Communications
GLIAC -- Ferris State senior offensive tackle Dylan Pasquali (Trenton) has been named the recipient of the 2021 Gene Upshaw Division II Lineman of the Year Award presented by the Manheim Touchdown Club, project coordinator Zech Hess announced on Monday.
The Upshaw Award is presented annually to the top NCAA Division II senior offensive or defensive lineman in the nation. Sports information directors from the football-playing Division II institutions comprise the voters.
As a recipient of the Gene Upshaw Award, Pasquali receives a trophy in the likeness of Upshaw and recognition at the Manheim Touchdown Club's annual banquet in May. Pasquali also will get the chance to compete in a postseason bowl.
Pasquali becomes the second consecutive winner of the award from Ferris State following Austin Edwards in 2019. Playing on the nation's top-ranked team, Pasquali and the Bulldogs are ranked in the top-two nationally in both points per game and total offense per contest. An All-American throughout his career, Pasquali has started every game this season being part of the only unbeaten team in NCAA Division II so far this year. He has helped Ferris State to nearly 50 wins during his time on the field.
"We had a group of extremely talented finalists this year," said Hess. "Dylan's production and dominance for a winning program like Ferris State clearly set him apart to the voters. We congratulate Dylan and wish him the best of luck in the NCAA playoffs and as he pursues the next level of football."
Pasquali tallied over 58 percent of the first-place votes on the ballot to win by 46 points with 198 total points. Notre Dame College's Brandon Nicholson came in runner-up with 152 points. It was a close finish between spots two through four with Valdosta State's Ralph Singleton coming in third with 149 points and Northwest Missouri State's Tanner Owen in fourth with 143 points. Slippery Rock's Chad Kuhn came in fifth with 134 points, Colorado State University-Pueblo's Ikenna Onwuasoanya came in sixth with 93 points, Sioux Falls' Joey Wehrkamp came in seventh with 88 points, followed by Bowie State's Mark Murphy in eighth with 87 points.
"Dylan has been a standout performer up front for us and is having a dominant season as a leader on one of the top offensive lines in the nation," said Ferris State Head Coach Tony Annese. "His leadership is critical and our offensive line is instrumental in the success of our offense, which ranks among the best in the nation. He's had a stellar career and will go down as one of the top offensive linemen we've ever had, which is saying quite a bit. He's been a steady and powerful performer for us over the course of his career and comes to work everyday to be the best he can be. He's been a big reason why we've achieved so much success over the course of his career."
Pasquali is the 17th recipient of the award named in honor of former Texas A&I (now Texas A&M Kingsville) University and NFL All-Pro offensive lineman Gene Upshaw. Upshaw, a 1987 inductee into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, served 25 years as the executive director of the NFL Players Association until his death in 2008.
Gene Upshaw Award finalists continue to achieve success at the highest level. 2019 Gene Upshaw winner Austin Edwards is in the NFL with the Kansas City Chiefs. 2018 finalist Trey Pipkins (Sioux Falls) was drafted by the Chargers. Previous winner Matt Judon (Grand Valley State, 2015) as well as 2012 finalist Ryan Jensen (Colorado State-Pueblo), 2015 finalist Morgan Fox (Colorado State-Pueblo) and 2017 finalist Alex Cappa are currently on NFL rosters.
Pasquali becomes the second-ever Ferris State Football standout to receive the Upshaw Award and is the fifth Bulldog in the past seven years of on-field action to claim one of Division II Football's top individual honors, joining Harlon Hill Trophy winning quarterbacks Jason Vander Laan (2014, 2015) and Jayru Campbell (2018) along with FSU's first Upshaw Award recipient in Edwards (2019).
Pasquali and the Bulldogs will host Shepherd (W.Va.) in the NCAA Division II National Semifinals this Saturday, Dec. 11, at Top Taggart Field. Kickoff is set for 3:32 p.m. (ET) in Big Rapids.
