Tallahassee, FL – The Tallahassee Quarterback Club (TQC) Foundation, Inc., the Florida-based creator and sponsor of the prestigious Biletnikoff Award, announces the semifinalists for the 2019 Biletnikoff Award. The secure and confidential electronic voting by the distinguished members of the Biletnikoff Award National Selection Committee was conducted from November 11th through November 17th, and certified by a prominent CPA firm.
The Biletnikoff Award annually recognizes the season’s outstanding FBS receiver in college football. Any player, regardless of position (wide receiver, tight end, slot back, and running back) who catches a pass is eligible for the award. As such, the Biletnikoff Award recognizes college football’s outstanding receiver, not merely college football’s outstanding wide receiver.
The semifinalists, finalists, and award recipient is selected by the highly distinguished Biletnikoff Award National Selection Committee, a group of prominent college football journalists, commentators, announcers, Biletnikoff Award winners, and other former receivers. Foundation trustees do not vote and have never voted. For a list of voters, please see BiletnikoffAward.com/voters.
The Biletnikoff Award candidate eligibility and voting criteria, transparently explicit and detailed, are available for review at BiletnikoffAward.com/criteria.
The 2019 Biletnikoff Award semifinalists are as follows (in alphabetical order):
Player | School |
Rashod Bateman | Minnesota |
Omar Bayless | Arkansas State |
Ja’Marr Chase | LSU |
Antonio Gandy-Golden | Liberty |
Isaiah Hodgins | Oregon State |
Justin Jefferson | LSU |
Jerry Jeudy | Alabama |
CeeDee Lamb | Oklahoma |
Michael Pittman Jr. | USC |
James Proche | SMU |
DeVonta Smith | Alabama |
Sage Surratt | Wake Forest |
The 2019 Biletnikoff Award winner will be presented live on December 12, 2019, at the College Football Hall of Fame on The Home Depot College Football Awards presented by Gildan to be broadcast 7:00 – 9:00pm (EST) on ESPN.
The correlation between Biletnikoff Award winners and stardom in the National Football League is nearly uniformly consistent. Past Biletnikoff Award winners include Calvin Johnson, Randy Moss, Michael Crabtree, Amari Cooper, the late Terry Glenn, and Larry Fitzgerald.
The 2019 Biletnikoff Award winner will be presented the Biletnikoff Award trophy by TQC Foundation Chairman Steve Dobson, III, college and pro football hall of famer Fred Biletnikoff, and the dynamic and inspiring keynoter and college football hall of famer Lou Holtz before 550 patrons at the Biletnikoff Award Banquet at the University Center Club at Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee on Saturday, February 15, 2020. The banquet was hailed by 2014 keynote speaker Dick Vermeil, as well as by 2013 keynoter Larry Csonka, as “the best banquet in college sports.”
The banquet has featured distinguished keynoters of profound character and accomplishments including the late Bart Starr, Dick Vermeil, Floyd Little, Larry Csonka, Steve Largent, Mike Ditka, Don Shula, Dan Reeves, Archie Manning, Ron Jaworski, Gene Stallings, Bob Griese, Bill Curry, Bobby Bowden, Jim Kelly, Jerry Kramer, Joe Theismann, Dan Fouts, and Aaron Taylor.
The TQC Foundation’s charitable mission is the provision of college and vocational scholarships to North Florida high school seniors who have overcome significant barriers to achieve at the highest academic and extracurricular levels. Participation in sports is not a requirement. The Foundation has provided many millions of dollars for several hundreds of scholarships and related benefits through 2019.
The Tallahassee Quarterback Club Foundation, Inc., will announce the three finalists, following another vote, on November 25, 2019. For complete details and updates of interest, together with weekly statistics and timely, important news of the Biletnikoff Award candidates, as well as a fan vote and discussion board, please consult the Foundation’s highly informative website at BiletnikoffAward.com.
The name Biletnikoff is synonymous with the term receiver. Fred Biletnikoff, a member of the pro and college football halls of fame, was a consensus All-America receiver at Florida State University, and an All-Pro receiver for the Oakland Raiders. He caught 589 passes for 8,974 yards and 76 touchdowns in his 14-year Raiders career from 1965 through 1978. Fred was the Most Valuable Player of Super Bowl XI.
FanVote and FanForum
Recently, the Tallahassee Quarterback Club Foundation opened the 2019 FanVote and FanForum. Every fan may vote once daily on the Biletnikoff Award FanVote page. The aggregate fan tally will be counted as one official vote to determine semifinalists, finalists (three), and the winner. In the closest contest in years, the FanVote tally provided the one-vote margin of victory for 2013 winner Brandin Cooks of Oregon State. The Biletnikoff Award FanForum consists of fan-created discussion topics that allow sports fans to voice their opinions.
To access the Biletnikoff Award FanVote, go to BiletnikoffAward.com/fan-vote
To access the Biletnikoff Award FanForum Discussion Board, go to BiletnikoffAward.com/forum