Davis Named Candidate for 2011 Lowes Senior CLASS Award

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. - Southern Miss senior quarterback Austin Davis, from Meridian, Miss., is one of 30 NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) student-athletes who excel both on and off the field were selected as candidates Tuesday for the 2011 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I FBS senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence - community, classroom, character and competition. The complete list of candidates follows this release.

An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School®, the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.

The 2011 candidate class includes four Associated Press All-Americans from last season. Eight of the 30 have maintained a cumulative grade point average of 3.5 or better. Five of the candidates were recognized by the College Sports Information Directors of America as 2010 Academic All-Americans. Twelve of the candidates play for teams ranked in the USA Today preseason top 25 poll. Lowe's, an official Corporate Partner of the NCAA, will announce the Senior CLASS Award® winner during the 2011 football bowl season.

The 30 candidates will be narrowed to 10 finalists midway through the regular season, and those 10 names will be placed on the official ballot. Ballots will be distributed through a nationwide voting system to media, coaches and fans who will select one finalist who best exemplifies excellence in the four Cs of community, classroom, character and competition.

For more information on all the candidates, visit seniorCLASSaward.com.