News

Biletnikoff Award’s 10 Semifinalists Announced

November 17, 2015 (For immediate release)

 

Tallahassee, FL – The Tallahassee Quarterback Club Foundation, Inc., the creator and sponsor of the Biletnikoff Award, announced the 10 Semifinalists for the 2015 Biletnikoff Award. The award recognizes the college football season’s outstanding receiver, regardless of position (any player at any position who catches a legal forward pass is eligible). The secure and confidential electronic voting by the distinguished members of the Biletnikoff Award National Selection Committee was conducted from November 9th through November 15th.

Semifinalists for the 2015 Biletnikoff Award are as follows (in alphabetical order):

Player
School
Corey Coleman Baylor University
Josh Doctson Texas Christian University
William Fuller University of Notre Dame
Roger Lewis Bowling Green State University
Gabe Marks Washington State University
Tajae Sharpe University of Massachusetts
Sterling Shepard University of Oklahoma
JuJu Smith-Schuster University of Southern California
Taywan Taylor Western Kentucky University
Laquon Treadwell University of Mississippi

 

Fans may now help determine which three receivers will advance as finalists by voting as often as once daily at the Biletnikoff Award FanVote. Fan voting for the three semifinalists will be open through November 22. In 2013, Biletnikoff Award winner Brandin Cooks’ one vote margin of victory was the result of his winning the FanVote tally.

The top 3 aggregate fan votes for receiver will each count as the equivalent of one national selection committee vote for each of those three receivers for finalists. Following the finalists’ selection, the subsequent top single aggregate fan vote for receiver will count as the equivalent of one national selection committee vote in selecting the winner.

To access the Biletnikoff Award FanVote today, go to: http://biletnikoffaward.com/fan-vote

The composition of the Biletnikoff Award National Selection Committee, comprised of 320 distinguished voters, appears at http://biletnikoffaward.com/voters.

The Biletnikoff Award Fan Forum is a discussion of fan-created topics, including who should win the Biletnikoff Award, what teams should be in the college playoff, what is the most-overrated college sports team in history, who should win the Heisman Trophy, and many other interesting topics. It is easy to post: simply register and express your opinion.

To access the Biletnikoff Award Forum today, go to: http://biletnikoffaward.com/forum

The Biletnikoff Award candidate eligibility and voting criteria section, transparently explicit and detailed, is available for review athttp://biletnikoffaward.com/criteria.
Note that any player at any position that receives a legal forward pass (tight end, slot back or slot receiver, inside receiver, wide receiver, split end, or running back) is eligible for the Biletnikoff Award.The 2015 Biletnikoff Award winner will be announced live by 1991 Heisman Trophy winner and former receiver Desmond Howard on December 10, 2015, on ESPN’s The Home Depot College Awards show, at 7 pm (EST), at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta, Georgia. Desmond Howard is one of only 5 ends or receivers who has won the Heisman Trophy, joining Larry Kelley, Leon Hart, Johnny Rodgers, and Tim Brown.The 2015 Biletnikoff Award recipient will be honored and will receive his trophy, winner of national competitions for aesthetic and design excellence, at the Biletnikoff Award banquet, an annual black tie event attended by 600 patrons and broadcast by ESPN3, at the University Center Club, Doak Campbell Stadium, Tallahassee, Florida, on Saturday, January 30, 2016. The Biletnikoff Award banquet was hailed by 2013 keynote speaker Larry Csonka and 2014 keynoter Dick Vermeil as “the best banquet in college sports.”Consistent with a long line of outstanding keynote speakers (including Bart Starr, Don Shula, Larry Csonka, Mike Ditka, Archie Manning, Steve Largent, and Dick Vermeil), College Football Hall of Fame and Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee Bob Griese will address the Biletnikoff Award banquet audience and, with all-time great college and pro hall of fame receiver Fred Biletnikoff, present the beautiful Biletnikoff Award trophy to the 2015 award winner. The pair will also recognize the Foundation’s 2016 scholarship recipients, who annually receive $900,000 in college and vocational school scholarships and benefits.

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 extra-curricular levels.


 

The Biletnikoff Award

The Biletnikoff Award is presented annually to the season’s outstanding college football receiver regardless of position (the award defines receiver as any player who catches a pass hence, wide receivers, tight ends, slot backs and inside receivers, split ends, and running backs are eligible)
(http://biletnikoffaward.com/about_award)
by the Tallahassee Quarterback Club Foundation, Inc., (TQC). The TQC Foundation, Inc., is an independent, charitable organization that was founded in 1994. Past Chairman and Founding Trustee Professor Walter W. Manley II, Founding Trustee L. Thomas Cox, Jr., Founding Trustee Rocky Bevis, and Founding Trustee Bob Teel established the award and the TQC Foundation, Inc., that sponsors it. Many more trustees have contributed to its development as one of the most prominent awards in college football. The TQC Foundation, Inc., joined the idea of a college receiver’s award to the organization’s vision and created the outstanding award and dynamic organization. The trophy, presented to each winner, is the most beautiful in college football – it has won several national awards for design excellence and aesthetic appeal.

Likewise, the website and printed banquet program have been cited nationally for excellence in design.


The Tallahassee Quarterback Club Foundation, Inc., a 501(c)(3) organization, is the creator and sponsor of the Biletnikoff Award. The Foundation administers the Biletnikoff Award, its charitable activities, and the distinguished Biletnikoff Award National Selection Committee. Foundation Trustees are prohibited from serving on the National Selection Committee. For a full recounting of the Foundation’s activities, please consult www.BiletnikoffAward.com


National Football Awards Association

The Biletnikoff Award is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA), which encompasses the most prestigious awards in college football. The 22 awards boast 700 years of tradition-selection excellence. Visit www.NCFAA.org to learn more about the NCFAA’s history.
Beginning in 2015, The Home Depot College Football Awards will have a new home at the College Football Hall of Fame and Chick-fil-A Fan Experience in downtown Atlanta. Airing live on ESPN on December 10, 2015, college football’s brightest stars will be honored for their performance on and off the field.