MANHEIM, Pa. – The Manheim Touchdown Club has announced the 29 nominees for the 2025 Gene Upshaw Division II Lineman of the Year award. Among the 29 nominees is Colorado State University Pueblo senior offensive lineman
Domingo Prince II (Aurora, Colo./Cherry Creek).
The Gene Upshaw Award is nominated and voted on by NCAA Division II football sports information directors. Two finalists from each of the four super regions advance to the national ballot, with the national finalists announced on Dec. 5. The winner of the 2025 award will be announced on Dec. 12.
All the nominees for the Gene Upshaw Division II Lineman of the Year Award must be seniors or graduate students and are linemen on either side of the ball at either offensive tackle, guard, or center; or defensive tackle, guard, or end.
Prince II, who is 6-foot-3, 325-pound right guard, earns his Gene Upshaw Award nomination after being a 2025 First-Team All-Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference selection. During the 2025 season, he recorded an average grade of 88 and tallied 10 pancake blocks and five TD blocks. The Pack offensive line allowed the third fewest sacks in the league (19) for an offense that threw the ball for 3,500 yards and led the league with 5,319 yards of total offense. He ended his collegiate career starting 34 consecutive games over the past three seasons at right guard for the Pack.
During the 2025 season, Prince II helped the Pack finish with a 10-2 record and a 9-0 mark in the league to repeat as RMAC Champions and advance to the NCAA Division II playoffs for the second consecutive season. Prince II and his offensive line mates helped a Pack offense finish the 2025 regular season leading the RMAC in scoring offense (39.6 points per game), passing offense (302.2 yards per game), total offense (453.5 yards per game), and sixth in rushing offense (151.4 yards per game). The Pack offensive attack gained 4,989 yards, scored 56 touchdowns, and scored 436 points, and gained 286 first downs, which is tied for third in Division II football.
In his career, he is a three-time All-RMAC selection, including earning second-team honors in 2023 and 2024, and is also a two-time Second-Team NFF Colorado Chapter All-Colorado Team in 2023 and 2024.
Prince II is one of six nominees from Super Region Four, which includes the Great American Conference, Lone Star Conference, Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association, and the RMAC, for this year's Gene Upshaw Award. The other nominees for the award from the super region are Northwest Missouri defensive tackle Clayton Power, Harding offensive tackle Jake Mitchell, Ouachita Baptist offensive tackle and center Dylan Horton, Southern Arkansas defensive end Hunter Horton, and Central Washington center Slade Edwards.
Eight nominees for the award are still playing as they will showcase their talents in this weekend's second round of the NCAA Division II Playoffs, while nine more nominees qualified for the NCAA Playoffs and played in the first round last weekend. In addition, one nominee, Ashland defensive end Michael Shimek, was recently named a nominee for the Harlon Hill Trophy, which is given to the Division II National Player of the Year.
He is the second straight Pack player to be nominated for the award as defensive lineman
Makeah Scippio was nominated for the award last season. Former Pack player Darius Allen was a two-time winner of the award in 2013 and 2014, while current Buffalo Bills practice squad player Morgan Fox was a runner-up for the award in 2015, and former Tampa Bay Buccaneers center Ryan Jensen was a finalist for the award in 2012.
The award is named in honor of the late Gene Upshaw, who was not only an All-Pro lineman for the Oakland Raiders, but also later served as the Executive Director of the NFL Players Association for 25 years. Upshaw, who was 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.
