News

The Tallahassee Quarterback Club Foundation, the Creator and Sponsor of the Biletnikoff Award, Recognizing the College Football Season’s Outstanding FBS Receiver Regardless of Position, Announces the 2020 Preseason Biletnikoff Award Watch List

For Immediate Release: July 16, 2020

Tallahassee, FL – The Tallahassee Quarterback Club (TQC) Foundation, Inc., the Florida-based creator and sponsor of the prestigious Biletnikoff Award, has released the 2020 Biletnikoff Award Preseason Watch List.

The Biletnikoff Award annually recognizes the college football season’s outstanding FBS receiver. 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 are 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.

Receivers are frequently added to the watch list as their season performances dictate. Actual, not potential, performance is the basis for inclusion on the Biletnikoff Award Watch List.

The Biletnikoff Award candidate eligibility and voting criteria, transparently explicit and detailed, are available for review at BiletnikoffAward.com/criteria.

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 2020 Biletnikoff Award winner will be presented the Biletnikoff Award trophy by TQC Foundation Chairman George Avant, Jr., keynoter and college hall of famer Chad Hennings, and college and pro football hall of famer Fred Biletnikoff before 550 patrons at the Biletnikoff Award Banquet at the University Center Club at Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee on Saturday, March 6, 2021. 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, the late Don Shula, Dan Reeves, Archie Manning, Ron Jaworski, Gene Stallings, Bob Griese, Bill Curry, Bobby Bowden, Jim Kelly, Jerry Kramer, Joe Theismann, Dan Fouts, Lou Holtz, 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 2020.

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.

The 2020 Biletnikoff Award Preseason Watch List
(Other receivers will be added as their season performances dictate)

PLAYER SCHOOL
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 José State
Tylan Wallace Oklahoma State
Austin Watkins UAB
Seth Williams Auburn
Michael Wilson Stanford