{"id":404131,"date":"2025-11-25T18:06:15","date_gmt":"2025-11-25T18:06:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/404131\/"},"modified":"2025-11-25T18:06:15","modified_gmt":"2025-11-25T18:06:15","slug":"biletnikoff-award-announces-finalists-for-college-footballs-top-receiver","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/404131\/","title":{"rendered":"Biletnikoff Award announces finalists for college football’s top receiver"},"content":{"rendered":"

The race for the Biletnikoff Award, presented annually to the nation\u2019s most outstanding college football receiver, has officially narrowed to three finalists. UConn\u2019s Skyler Bell<\/a><\/strong>, USC\u2019s Makai Lemon<\/a><\/strong>, and Ohio State\u2019s Jeremiah Smith<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The trio has been selected by the Tallahassee Quarterback Club Foundation as the three vying for one of the sport\u2019s most prestigious honors. The award, which defines a \u201creceiver\u201d as any player who catches a pass regardless of position, has previously recognized stars at wideout, tight end, slot, and even running back. Last season, Colorado\u2019s two-way phenom Travis Hunter<\/a><\/strong> took home the trophy.<\/p>\n

This year\u2019s group showcases three receivers who elevated their programs in different ways and put up standout numbers throughout the season. First, Bell is a veteran playmaker for the Huskies entering the finalist stage with one of the most productive seasons in the country. <\/p>\n

The senior recorded\u00a0101 receptions for 1,276 yards and 13 touchdowns, serving as the anchor of UConn\u2019s offense and one of the most dependable high-volume targets in the nation. His combination of route-running, hands and durability made him a statistical force from Week 1 through the end of the regular season.<\/p>\n

Next, Smith has become Ohio State\u2019s latest young star at wide receiver, as he\u2019s wasted no time living up to five-star expectations. He\u2019s emerged as one of the Big Ten\u2019s most dangerous threats throughout his two seasons of college football. <\/p>\n

All told, Smith posted\u00a069 receptions for 902 yards and 10 touchdowns, often delivering in the Buckeyes\u2019 biggest moments. His blend of size, athleticism and catch-radius ability has already placed him among the sport\u2019s elite receivers, and he\u2019s widely projected as one of, if not the top NFL prospect in the coming years.<\/p>\n

Finally, the junior in Lemon became the heartbeat of USC\u2019s passing game this season, finishing with\u00a078 receptions for 1,124 yards and 10 touchdowns. His versatility made him a constant mismatch for defenses across the Big Ten. Lemon\u2019s consistency and explosiveness helped stabilize the Trojans\u2019 offense during an up-and-down year.<\/p>\n

With three receivers who would make worthy winners, the 2025 Biletnikoff Award will once again spotlight a wide-ranging field of elite pass-catchers. The victor will be announced in December, as the trio looks to join the award\u2019s prestigious lineage and potentially follow the trajectory of last year\u2019s standout in Hunter.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The race for the Biletnikoff Award, presented annually to the nation\u2019s most outstanding college football receiver, has officially…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":404132,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[43],"tags":[1318,6872,6893,1317,1315,1316,190934,62,67,132,68],"class_list":{"0":"post-404131","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-ncaa-football","8":"tag-football","9":"tag-jeremiah-smith-24-chaminade-madonna-prep","10":"tag-makai-lemon-23-los-alamitos","11":"tag-ncaa","12":"tag-ncaa-football","13":"tag-ncaafootball","14":"tag-skyler-bell-21-the-taft-school","15":"tag-sports","16":"tag-united-states","17":"tag-unitedstates","18":"tag-us"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115611669975162916","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/404131","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=404131"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/404131\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/404132"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=404131"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=404131"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=404131"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}