The Biletnikoff Award watch list was recently released and one thing is for sure, there’s a lot of talent at wide receiver position set to take the field in 2017.
Names like Equanimeous St. Brown of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Allen Lazard of the Iowa State Cyclones grace this year’s watch list — 45 players make up this year’s watch list.
The Biletnikoff Award was established in 1994 as an ode to wide receiver Fred Biletnikoff. It is awarded to the top receiver, including running backs, slot backs or tight ends who catch the ball, in college football every season. Only 10 semifinalists are announced on Nov. 13. The top three finalists are announced on Nov. 21.
Heisman finalist Dede Westbrook of the Oklahoma Sooners won the Biletnikoff Award in 2016. The other two finalists in 2016 were Zay Jones of the ECU Pirates and Austin Carr of the Northwestern Wildcats.
Biletnikoff played collegiately from 1962-1964 with the Florida State Seminoles. He was a consensus All-American in 1964 after catching 70 passes for 1,179 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns, both first in the NCAA at the time.
He went on to play for the Oakland Raiders in the AFL. When the AFL merged into the NFL, he continued to play for the Raiders in 1970. He was the NFL’s reception leader in 1971 with 61 catches. In the 1976-77 season, Biletnikoff led the way for the Raiders with 13 catches for 216 receiving yards and a touchdown in Super Bowl XI, where he was also named the Super Bowl MVP.
Much like Western Michigan Broncos wide receiver Corey Davis, SMU Mustangs wide receiver Courtland Sutton enters as a non-power five player to win the Biletnikoff Award.
Sutton caught 76 passes for 1,246 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns in 2016. He averaged 103.8 receiving yards per game a season ago. He had five games with over 100 receiving yards, opening the season with four catches for 162 receiving yards and three touchdowns against the North Texas Mean Green.
Against Big 12 foes, Sutton caught 11 passes for 225 receiving yards and a touchdown despite the team losing both games. His quarterback, Ben Hicks, was a redshirt freshman last season who threw 15 interceptions. That number should drop now that Hicks has more experience entering this season.
Sutton set the sophomore record for receiving yards in a season and the single-game school record for receiving yards with 252 against the South Florida Bulls. He also caught a career-high 13 receptions along with two touchdowns.
The redshirt junior has 24 straight starts under his belt entering this season. He’s done nothing but elevate his level of play since emerging as a top receiver in 2015. He set the freshman school record for receiving yards for the Mustangs with 862 receiving yards in 2015. Sutton also led the American Conference in receiving touchdowns that season with nine.
Clemson Tigers wide receiver Deon Cain returns looking to lead the offense back to a potential College Football Playoff berth. After earning vengeance against the Alabama Crimson Tide in 2016, Cain returns with Biletnikoff Award potential.
The Tigers still have a big question mark at starting quarterback but Cain enters as the receiver that will help improve the learning curve. Cain caught 38 receptions for 724 receiving yards and nine touchdowns in 2016.
Cain caught at least one pass in all 15 games he appeared in last season. He had back-to-back games of two receiving touchdowns passes against the Louisville Cardinals and Boston College Golden Eagles. In the games, he caught a combined seven receptions for 166 receiving yards as well.
His best game of 2016 came against the Syracuse Orange where he caught five passes for a career-high 125 receiving yards and two touchdowns. He led the Tigers offense with 19.1 yards per reception and enters as their biggest deep threat for 2017.
In the National Championship game, he was one of four receiving targets with over 90 receiving yards. He caught five receptions for 94 receiving yards. With receivers Hunter Renfrow, Mike Williams and tight end Jordan Leggett all gone, Cain enters this season as a receiver to watch for the Clemson Tigers.
Texas A&M Aggies wide receiver Christian Kirk is due for a big offensive season. After relying heavily on the legs of graduate transfer Trevor Knight, the offense could be ready to pass the torch to Kirk at wide receiver.
Kirk caught 83 receptions (career-high) for 928 receiving yards and nine touchdowns in 2016. He flirted with another 1,000 receiving yard season after posting 1,009 receiving yards in 2015.
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Kirk led the SEC in receptions and finished fourth in both receiving yards and touchdowns in 2016. He also earned honors as a punt returner for the Aggies with 13 punt returns for 282 yards and three touchdowns. He enters 2017 as the NCAA’s active leader in punt return average (23.1 yards per return) and punt return touchdowns (5).
Kirk returned two punt returns for touchdowns against the New Mexico State Aggies, the first player in Texas A&M history to do so. He also become the first Aggie ever to post over 80 receptions in back-to-back seasons.
As the Aggies look to replace what they lost in Trevor Knight at quarterback, look for Kirk to play a huge role in any offensive success they might have. If they can get over the hump (Alabama), Kirk is prime for Biletnikoff Award honors by season’s end.
Oklahoma State wide receiver James Washington had a big season in 2016. With ever so accurate quarterback Mason Rudolph, Washington returns with Biletnikoff Award written all over him.
Washington returns for his senior season looking to win a Big 12 title and even more with Rudolph under center. He racked up 71 receptions for 1,380 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns in 2016. He posted back-to-back 1,000-plus receiving yards as a sophomore and junior on the football field.
Washington finished 10th in receiving yards in the FBS a season ago, averaging 106.2 receiving yards per game. He finished fourth in the Big 2 in receiving touchdowns and fifth in receptions. He was second in the conference in receiving yards.
Washington caught a career-high 296 receiving yards and nine receptions for two touchdowns against the Pittsburgh Panthers in a 45-38 shootout victory. He also caught the longest pass of his career with a 91-yard touchdown pass to open the game.
He had six games with over 100 receiving yards. Washington ended the season in impressive fashion with nine catches for 171 receiving yards and a touchdown in a 38-8 romp of the Colorado Buffaloes in the Alamo Bowl. He was awarded the Alamo Bowl MVP for his performance as well.
The last Cowboys receiver to take home the Biletnikoff Award was Justin Blackmon who won the award in 2010 and 2011.
Quarterback Jalen Hurts shouldn’t have a hard time passing the pigskin with wide receiver Calvin Ridley on the field in 2017. With a new offensive coordinator in Brian Daboll, the Alabama Crimson Tide could see Ridley take home a Biletnikoff Award next season.
Ridley had a “down season” when compared to his freshman year in 2015 when he caught 89 receptions for 1,045 receiving yards and seven touchdowns. In 2016, he caught 72 passes for 769 receiving yards but all that could change with a more balanced-attack this upcoming season.
Ridley was still second in the SEC in receptions in 2017 but finished ninth in receiving yards. The offense relied heavily on the legs of Jalen Hurts, who ran for 954 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns last year. Hurts won SEC Offensive Player of the Year after becoming to first freshman starter under head coach Nick Saban.
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All that should change with better pocket protection and better leadership at the offensive coordinator position. After a lot of shuffling, former New England Patriots offensive coordinator Brian Daboll should give the receiving corps a lot more looks in 2017. With good reason too as the Crimson Tide will have a plethora of talent to work with at wide receiver.
Ridley enters as an early Biletnikoff Award favorite. The last Alabama player to win the award was Amari Cooper in 2014.