Tag: Biletnikoff Award

Ohio State’s Marvin Harrison Jr. wins Biletnikoff Award

Another one for the trophy case. #GoBucks

Marvin Harrison Jr. has been named the 2023 Biletnikoff Award winner as the most outstanding receiver in college football. He becomes only the second Buckeye to win the award joining 1995 winner Terry Glenn, though many would argue the Ohio State receiver should’ve won the award last year as well.

As good as Harrison has been this year, he faced some stiff competition in Washington’s Rome Odunze, and LSU‘s Malik Nabers. Harrison won the award by exactly one vote, making this the closest race in Biletnikoff History.

Harrison was quoted as saying “I always wanted to win it for ‘Zone 6’, ‘Wide Receiver U.'”

It’s another feather in the cap of one of the all-time greats in Ohio State history. Now the question remains, will Marv come back for one more go in Scarlet and Gray?

*** Please note, this article originally stated that LSU’s Malik Nabers finished second in the Biletnikoff voting, but that was omitted in the most recent version. There is no way to ascertain which player finished second.

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Ohio State’s Marvin Harrison Jr. wins Biletnikoff Award over Malik Nabers

Despite finishing more than 300 yards ahead of Marvin Harrison Jr., Malik Nabers did not receive the Biletnikoff Award.

LSU already saw one player win a postseason award on Friday night as [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag] was named the Davey O’Brien winner, and it could have had another as receiver [autotag]Malik Nabers[/autotag] was a finalist for the Biletnikoff Award.

Instead, the award ultimately went to Ohio State wideout Marvin Harrison Jr., who is viewed as the top receiver prospect in the 2024 NFL draft.

While Harrison is viewed as the better prospect on Sundays, his production left the award open to debate. While Nabers paced the nation with 1,546 receiving yards, Harrison finished behind him by a margin of more than 300 yards.

Nabers didn’t finish with as many touchdowns as Harrison, who had 14 compared to Nabers’ 12, but he also split some of the glory with Brian Thomas Jr., whose 15 receiving touchdowns led the nation in 2023.

It’s a disappointment for Nabers, but he is still considered a possible top 10 pick in this spring’s draft and will suit up for the Tigers one last time as he’s already announced his intention to play in the ReliaQuest Bowl against Wisconsin on Jan. 1.

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Malik Nabers named a Biletnikoff Award finalist

Malik Nabers was named a finalist for the Biletnikoff Award on Tuesday.

[autotag]Malik Nabers[/autotag] was named a Biletnikoff Award finalist on Tuesday. The Biletnikoff is awarded annually to the best pass-catcher in college football.

Nabers leads the country with 1,546 receiving yards, over 100 more than second-place Malik Washington with 1,426 yards.

After leading the SEC in catches last year, Nabers entered the year with high expectations. He took it to another level, becoming a premier big play threat, leading the country with 34 20+ yard plays to go along with 12 touchdowns and 86 catches.

Nabers is threatening to break LSU’s all-time receiving yards record, and if he plays in the bowl game, he’ll need just 22 yards to surpass [autotag]Josh Reed[/autotag].

Nabers would be the third receiver in LSU’s history to take the Biletnikoff home along with Reed in 2001 and [autotag]Ja’Marr Chase[/autotag] in 2019.

Ohio State’s Marvin Harrison Jr. and Washington’s Rome Odunze joined Nabers as finalists. The winner will be announced Friday, Dec. 8 at The College Football Awards on ESPN.

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Oregon WR Troy Franklin gets snubbed as a finalist for Biletnikoff Award

Oregon Ducks wide receiver Troy Franklin was snubbed, not named as a finalist for the Biletnikoff Award.

It’s been clear all season long that Oregon Ducks wide receiver Troy Franklin is playing on a different level than we’ve seen from any pass-catcher in Eugene for quite some time.

However, that level of play is not being recognized, as Franklin was snubbed as a finalist for the Biletnikoff Award, which is given to the college football season’s outstanding FBS receiver.

Through 12 games, Franklin has 77 catches for 1,349 yards and 14 touchdowns. He’s broken the Oregon Ducks single-season receiving records for yards and touchdowns, and also broken the school record for most receiving touchdowns in a career.

The finalists for the award are Ohio State’s Marvin Harrison Jr., Washington’s Rome Odunze, and LSU’s Malik Nabers.

Here’s how Franklin’s stats stack up to the other three:

Name Catches Yards TDs
Troy Franklin 77 1,349 14
Marvin Harrison Jr. 67 1,211 14
Rome Odunze 73 1,326 13
Malik Nabers 86 1,546 14

The Biletnikoff Award will be given out on December 8, 2023.

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Malik Nabers, Brian Thomas Jr. named Biletnikoff Award semifinalists

Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr. have been the best receiving duo in the country this season.

A pair of LSU receivers have been nominated for the most prestigious pass-catching award in the country.

Both [autotag]Malik Nabers[/autotag] and [autotag]Brian Thomas Jr.[/autotag] were listed among the 10 semifinalists to win the Biletnikoff Award, which is generally won by receivers but also open to tight ends, as evidenced by the presence of Georgia’s Brock Bowers among the semifinalists.

Nabers leads the nation in receiving yards with 1,424, and he ranks fourth with 12 touchdowns. His 80 receptions also leads the SEC and ranks fourth nationally.

Thomas, meanwhile, has also surpassed the 1,000-yard mark and leads the nation with 14 receiving touchdowns. The star receiving duo have both gone over 100 yards receiving five times this season.

Nabers and Thomas are looking to become the third LSU player to win the Biletnikoff, joining [autotag]Josh Reed[/autotag] in 2001 and [autotag]Ja’Marr Chase[/autotag] in 2019.

Here are all 10 semifinalists for the Biletnikoff.

Brock Bowers (TE), Georgia
Luther Burden III (WR), Missouri
Keon Coleman (WR), Florida State
Troy Franklin (WR), Oregon
Marvin Harrison Jr. (WR), Ohio State
Xavier Legette (WR), South Carolina
Malik Nabers (WR), LSU
Rome Odunze (WR), Washington
Brian Thomas Jr. (WR), LSU
Malik Washington (WR), Virginia

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Troy Franklin moves up in latest Biletnikoff Award betting odds

Oregon Ducks wide receiver Troy Franklin has moved up in the latest Biletnikoff Award betting odds.

A lot of our focus this year has been on Oregon Ducks quarterback Bo Nix and his standing in the race for the Heisman Trophy, something that he is currently leading as we enter the final few weeks of the season.

However, one thing that we also need to be paying attention to throughout the remainder of the regular season is Troy Franklin and his potential candidacy for the Fred Biletnikoff Award, given to the college football season’s outstanding FBS receiver.

While the odds are a bit lopsided right now with one player standing as a heavy favorite, there is a good chance that Franklin makes it as a finalist for the award. Should that happen, Franklin would be the first Oregon Duck in school history to be a finalist for the award.

With three games left in the regular season, here’s where the betting odds stand for the award:

Where Troy Franklin ranks among nation’s best WRs midway through 2023 season

With 500+ yards and 7 TD, Troy Franklin is off to a blazing start in 2023. Where does he rank among the top WRs in the nation, though?

The 2022 college football season was fun for Oregon Duck fans because it showed that they might have a superstar in the making with Troy Franklin blossoming as a deep-play threat in the passing game in Eugene.

The start of the 2023 season has been absolutely thrilling for those same Duck fans to watch. Franklin has established himself as one of the top receivers in the nation.

We knew it was possible, especially with fifth-year quarterback Bo Nix returning for one last ride, plus the introduction of new offensive coordinator Will Stein, a play-caller who has been very vocal about his willingness to take multiple deep shots per game. The result has been incredible. Franklin racked up over 100 yards in four of his five games this year and hauled in multiple touchdowns in three of those games.

While Nix is in the thick of the Heisman Trophy race at the midway point of the season, we wanted to see where Franklin stands when it comes to the receiving leaders in the nation and the potential Biletnikoff Award watch list.

Here’s our rankings of the nation’s best pass-catchers, based on receiving yards and receiving TDs, through Week 5:

Dante Cephas named to Biletnikoff Award watch list

Penn State’s Bobby Engram won the first Biletnikoff Award. Dante Cephas is on the watch list hoping to join him in 2023.

One of Penn State’s newest additions on offense is already on the radar for the top honor at his position in the 2023 college football season. Penn State wide receiver [autotag]Dante Cephas[/autotag] has been named to the watch list for the Biletnikoff Award.

Cephas transferred to Penn State from Kent State in this offseason, and he is expected to step right into a leading role on the offense.

Cephas had 48 receptions for 744 yards and three touchdowns in nine games last season for Kent State. The previous season, in 2021, Cephas had 82 catches for 1,240 yards and nine touchdowns in 14 games played.

Cephas comes to Penn State looking to help fill a bit of a hole in the passing game after losing two starting wide receivers to the NFL (Parker Washington and Mitchell Tinsley). Cephas will join new teammate KeAndre Lambert-Smith as the top receiving targets for Penn State’s new starting quarterback, which is expected to be sophomore Drew Allar.

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The Biletnikoff Award was first presented in 1994 when Penn State’s Bobby Engram was honored as the nation’s top wide receiver. He remains the only Biletnikoff Award in Penn State history.

The last Big Ten wide receiver to win the Biletnikoff Award was Braylon Edwards of Michigan in 2004. Last year’s recipient of the Biletnikoff Award was Jalin Hyatt of Tennessee.

Any player who catches a pass is eligible for the Biletnikoff Award regardless of position, but no player outside of the wide receiver position has won the award in the history of the award.

Semifinalists for the Biletnikoff Award will be announced in November and three finalists will be voted on by a selection committee and announced in late November. The winner of this year’s Biletnikoff Award will be announced during The Home Depot College Football Awards on Dec. 7.

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Two Ohio State receivers make Biletnikoff preseason watch list

What are the odds that Harrison Jr., or Egbuka takes this thing home? #GoBucks

Many will tell you that Ohio State receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. was the best receiver in college football last season, even if he didn’t win the Biletnikoff Award that is supposedly handed out to the country’s best receiver, regardless of position, annually (don’t blame this voter, he checked the box for Harrison Jr.).

He will have another chance of course this fall. And so far, so good, as both Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka were two of 49 names named to the preseason Biletnikoff Award announced Monday.

The Biletnikoff Award is handed out by the Tallahassee Quarterback Club Foundation and has been awarded every year since 1994. To date, only one Ohio State player has been honored, and it was in just year two of the award when Terry Glenn won it in 1995.

Of any of the awards out there that Ohio State players have been mentioned for with these watch lists, you have to feel pretty good about this one with two of the best receivers in college football wearing the scarlet and gray.

Don’t be surprised if Harrison Jr. and Egbuka both are finalists and have a shot at taking it home.

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A pair of Duck receivers on preseason Biletnikoff Award watch list

Oregon receivers Troy Franklin and Tez Johnson have been placed on the Biletnikoff Award watch list for the nation’s best receiver.

Oregon is fortunate to have a very good quarterback in Bo Nix, but the senior signal caller would be the first to admit he wouldn’t be as good if he didn’t have talented targets.

Two of those targets, Troy Franklin and incoming transfer Tex Johnson are being recognized as two of the better receivers in the country as they were on the preseason Biletnikoff Award watch list.

The award goes to the nation’s best receiver. Tennessee’s Jalin Hyatt was last year’s recipient.

In 2022, Franklin had his best season as a Duck with 61 catches for 891 yards and nine touchdowns. For Troy last season, Johnson had 56 catches for 863 yards and four touchdowns.