Jerry Rice owns every record that elite wide receivers are chasing, but Fred Biletnikoff defined greatness at the position. Over his 14-year NFL career with the Oakland Raiders, the 6-foot-1 pass catcher caught 589 passes for 8,974 receiving yards and 76 touchdowns. Those aren't eye-popping numbers in today's NFL, but during the 1970s, Biletnikoff set the standard.
The MVP of Super Bowl XI is a member of both the Pro Football Hall of Fame and College Football Hall of Fame. The Consensus All-American at Florida State University still dots the school record books over five decades later, and he lends his name to the award given to each season's outstanding FBS receiver in college football.
What is the Biletnikoff Award?
The Tallahassee Quarterback Club Foundation, Inc. presents the Biletnikoff Award to the most outstanding receiver in FBS college football every year; It's important to note that any pass catcher, including tight ends and running backs, are eligible for the award.
The winner is announced at The Home Depot College Football Awards live on ESPN, followed by a separate trophy presentation at the Biletnikoff Award Banquet at the University Center Club inside Tallahassee's Doak Campbell Stadium.
Past Biletnikoff Award Winners
Since Bobby Engram won the inaugural award as a Penn State Nittany Lion in 1994, some of the game's greatest names claimed the honor. Marshall's Randy Moss (1997), Michigan State's Charles Rogers (2002), Pittsburgh's Larry Fitzgerald (2003), Georgia Tech's Calvin Johnson (2006), Notre Dame's Golden Tate (2009), Oregon State's Brandin Cooks (2013), Alabama's Amari Cooper (2014), Oklahoma State's James Washington (2017) and Alabama's Jerry Jeudy (2018) are among the past winners.
LSU's Ja'Marr Chase (84 catches, 1,780 yards and 20 touchdowns) won the 2019 award as a sophomore, beating out Oklahoma's CeeDee Lamb and USC's Michael Pittman Jr. Returning in 2020, Chase could join Texas Tech's Michael Crabtree (2007, 2008) and Oklahoma State's Justin Blackmon (2010, 2011) as the only two-time winners in the award's history.
The TQC Foundation announced the 2020 Biletnikoff Award Preseason Watch List on July 16. The organization will trim this group of 55 names down to a shorter list of semifinalists near the midseason mark, followed by the finalists and eventual award recipient after conference championships are played.
Biletnikoff Award Watch List 2020
Jonathan Adams Jr., Arkansas State
Tutu Atwell, Louisville
Jhamon Ausbon, Texas A&M
Rashod Bateman, Minnesota
David Bell, Purdue
Jadan Blue, Temple
Max Borghi, Washington State
Dyami Brown, North Carolina
Ja'Marr Chase, LSU
Nico Collins, Michigan
Elijah Cooks, Nevada
Damonte Coxie, Memphis
Frank Darby, Arizona State
Jaelon Darden, North Texas
Pat Freiermuth, Penn State
Kaylon Geiger, Troy
Kylen Granson, SMU
Warren Jackson, Colorado State
C.J. Johnson, East Carolina
Johnny Johnson III, Oregon
Tim Jones, Southern Miss
Charlie Kolar, Iowa State
Terrace Marshall Jr., LSU
Elijah Moore, Ole Miss
Rondale Moore, Purdue
Skyy Moore, Western Michigan
Dazz Newsome, North Carolina
Tre Nixon, UCF
Chris Olave, Ohio State
Andrew Parchment, Kansas
Whop Philyor, Indiana
George Pickens, Georgia
Kalil Pimpleton, Central Michigan
Kyle Pitts, Florida
Charleston Rambo, Oklahoma
Reggie Roberson Jr., SMU
Brad Rozner, Rice
Khalil Shakir, Boise State
Jared Smart, Hawaii
DeVonta Smith, Alabama
Ihmir Smith-Marsette, Iowa
Amon-Ra St. Brown, USC
Marquez Stevenson, Houston
Keylon Stokes, Tulsa
Sage Surratt, Wake Forest
Tamorrion Terry, Florida State
Tyquan Thornton, Baylor
Victor Tucker, Charlotte
Tyler Vaughns, USC
Jaylen Waddle, Alabama
Tre Walker, San Jose State
Tylan Wallace, Oklahoma State
Austin Watkins, UAB
Seth Williams, Auburn
Michael Wilson, Stanford
This post was originally published July 16, 2020. It will be updated throughout the fall with announcements from Tallahassee Quarterback Club Foundation.
