VALDOSTA, Ga. – Valdosta State graduate offensive lineman Will Flowers has been nominated for the NCAA Division II Gene Upshaw Senior Lineman of the Year, presented by the Manheim Touchdown Club.  
 
Thirty-one student-athletes have been nominated for the award and it is nominated and voted on by the nation's NCAA Division II sports information directors. Two finalists will advance from each of the four super regions to a national ballot, with national finalists announced Dec. 4. The winner will be announced Dec. 12. All nominees must be seniors or graduate players/transfers and are lineman on either side of the ball at either offensive tackle, guard, or center; or defensive tackle, guard, or end.  
 
The list includes nine nominees who are still playing as they will showcase their talents in this weekend's NCAA Division II Championship second round. Five more nominees qualified with their teams for the national tournament and played in the NCAA First Round on Nov. 23.
 
The award is named in honor of 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. The award is presented annually by the Manheim Touchdown Club.
 
Flowers, a graduate transfer from LaGrange, Ga., came to VSU this season from East Tennessee State and has started all ten games at center for the top-ranked Blazers.  He earned First Team All-Gulf South Conference honors and has 36 knockdown blacks and graded out at 97 percent so far this season for the highest on the team.  He blocks for an offense that is seventh nationally in total offense at 461.7 yards per game, along with the No. 17 passing offense (259.5) and the No. 17 rushing offense (202.2), while the Blazers are sixth nationally in scoring at 43.1 points per game. 
 
Flowers and the Blazers host Miles College on Saturday at 1 p.m. in the second round of the NCAA Division II football playoffs.  Fans can access links to live stats, audio/video streaming, ticket information and more at vstateblazers.com on the football schedule page.