The top Division II football lineman in the nation plays in the Old North State. Wingate defensive end Marquise Fleming won the 2024 Gene Upshaw Award, it was announced Thursday afternoon.
The senior from Charlotte (Olympic HS) becomes the first Bulldog ever to win the prestigious national honor. He’s also the first from the South Atlantic Conference and the first from Super Region 2 (which includes the SAC, CIAA, SIAC and Gulf South Conference).
“I could not be more excited or prouder of Marquise winning the Gene Upshaw Award,” Wingate head coach Rashaan Jordan said in a release by the school. “What a tremendous honor for all his dedication and hard work. It is a testament to a player and human being he has been in the program over the years. To have an honor this prestigious bestowed on one of our players speaks highly of our program and the people who make Wingate Football such a special place.”
Fleming completed his final season in a college uniform in grand fashion. He recorded 58 tackles, 19.5 tackles for loss and 8.0 sacks, helping the Bulldogs claim a SAC championship. He added 14 quarterback hurries and forced two fumbles. Fleming ranks fourth nationally in TFLs and is tied for 15th in sacks.
The strong 2024 season built on a 2023 run which saw Fleming amass 63 tackles, 22.5 tackles-for-loss, 13 sacks, three forced fumbles and seven QB hurries.
Fleming has been part of the Wingate program since 2020. He played in just one game that first season, but served notice of what was to come by recording a six-yard sack as one of his two tackles.
He saw action in eight games in 2021 and 14 during Wingate’s charge to the 2022 playoff quarterfinals. All told, there are 71.5 tackles-for-loss with Fleming’s name on them, resulting in 368 negative yards. He has added 37 career sacks for 251 negative yards and 10 forced fumbles. Per Wingate sports information, Fleming is college football’s active leader in both TFLs and sacks.
Fleming proved steady throughout the 2024 campaign, though defenses made an effort to avoid him when they could. He compiled nine tackles and four tackles-for-loss against Carson-Newman in September. The following week he recorded 3.5 TFLs and six stops against UVA Wise. He suffered an injury on the final play before halftime in the playoffs against Virginia Union and did not return. The Bulldogs lost 34-31.
South Atlantic coaches voted Fleming the 2023 and 2024 conference Defensive Player of the Year. He also won D2CCA Super Region 2 Defensive Player of the Year the past two seasons. He led the nation in sacks in 2023, garnering All-America status. The past two years, Fleming has been in the running for the Harlon Hill Award, presented to the top D2 player in the country.
Fleming was a runner-up for the Upshaw Award in 2023. It is named for Gene Upshaw, a former offensive lineman standout for Texas A&I (now Texas A&M Kingsville), who went on to a Hall of Fame career with the NFL’s Oakland Raiders.
2024 Gene Upshaw Award Balloting
- 1. Marquise Fleming, DE, Wingate
- 2. Gabe Brown, OT, Grand Valley State
- 3. Todd Hill, DE, Slippery Rock
- 4. Nic Van de Graaf, OT, Colorado School of Mines
- 5. Gage Price, NT, Harding
- 6. Jake Gannon, OC, Bemidji State
- 7. Jaheim Bassham, OC, California (Pa.)
- 8. Isaac Anderson, DE, Virginia Union
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