Official Release
KUTZTOWN, Pa. – Redshirt-senior offensive lineman
Jordan Morgan (Philadelphia, Pa./Parkway Northwest) of the Kutztown University football team was officially named the winner of the annual Gene Upshaw Division II Lineman of the Year Award on Wednesday, becoming just the second player in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) history to earn the prestigious honor.
The Upshaw Award is presented by the Manheim Touchdown Club to the top NCAA Division II junior or senior offensive or defensive lineman in the nation and is voted on by sports information directors from the football-playing Division II institutions.
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 line-man 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.
Morgan was one of eight finalists and one of two from Super Region I, along with Slippery Rock's Marcus Martin. Morgan becomes the first player in KU history to win the Gene Upshaw Award following his stellar redshirt-senior season.
Brandon Fusco of Slippery Rock won the Gene Upshaw Award in 2010, the first PSAC player to do so. He was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the sixth round of the 2011 NFL Draft and has started in 61 of his 64 career games.
As a recipient of the Gene Upshaw Award, Morgan receives a trophy in the likeness of Upshaw and recognition at the Manheim Touchdown Club's annual banquet in May. Morgan also receives an automatic invitation to participate in the East/West Shrine Game on Jan. 21, 2017, in St. Petersburg, Flor.
"When I called Jordan to announce that he had won the award and to congratulate him, he told me that when he was entering college one of his goals as a football player was to win the Gene Upshaw Division II Lineman of the Year Award," said coordinator Don Harris. "Dreams really do come true if you work hard enough on them. The Manheim Touchdown Club wishes Jordan the very best at the next level. It's one of his dreams!"
The initial field of 51 nominees was narrowed to eight after a round of voting at the Super Region level. In one of the closest votes in the award's history, Morgan finished with 310 points, just 17 more than runner-up Peter Bateman of Minnesota-Duluth. McKendree defensive end Lucky Baar, Division II's all-time sacks leader, finished in a close third with 275 points. Morgan received a first-place vote on 19 of the 55 ballots cast. Baar totaled 15 No. 1 votes and Bateman received nine. West Georgia defensive end Dylan Donahue, a repeat finalist, finished fourth and was followed by Slippery Rock defensive end Marcus Martin, North Alabama offensive lineman Stephen Evans, Sioux Falls offensive lineman Antonio Green, and Grand Valley State defensive end Sydney Omameh. Martin gave Slippery Rock a national finalist in each of the last three years. Omameh continued a strong Grand Valley State tradition that includes a record four winners.
The accolades have been piling up for Morgan over his outstanding KU career. He recently became the first offensive lineman in conference history to be named the PSAC Offensive Athlete of the Year and is a three-time All-PSAC East First Team honoree.
Morgan was a consensus 2015 All-America First Team honoree and he helped anchor a strong KU offensive line this season, which helped pave the way for a school-record rushing performance against East Stroudsburg on Oct. 15.
"Jordan is exactly what you want as an offensive lineman," said Kutztown offensive line coach
Corey Woods. "He has unbelievable work ethic, toughness and self-motivation. Jordan has a bright future ahead of him but most importantly he will be leaving here with a degree and will always be a Kutztown Golden Bear."
"He's an extremely physical presence," said Kutztown head coach
Jim Clements. "He's a mauler in the run game and has excellent feet in the pass game. He hasn't given up a sack in as long as I can recall, and he's just one of those players that plays through the whistle."
The team captain started at left tackle in 43 of his 44 career games at KU, including the last 24 of his career. Morgan also became the second player in school history to be invited to the Reese's Senior Bowl, which takes place in January. He will look to have a strong week at the prestigious event and hopefully have his named called at the 2017 NFL Draft, which takes place from April 27-29 in Philadelphia.