The Biletnikoff Award has been awarded to the most outstanding wide receiver in college football since 1994. Randy Moss, Calvin Johnson and Ja’Marr Chase, among others, have earned the honor before embarking on outstanding NFL careers. This next batch of Biletnikoff finalists hopes to do the same.
On Tuesday afternoon, the Biletnikoff Award revealed its 3 finalists for the 2025 award. They are, in alphabetical order: Skyler Bell (UCONN), Makai Lemon (USC) and Jeremiah Smith (Ohio State).
- Skyler Bell (UCONN): 101 receptions, 1,276 yards, 13 touchdowns in 12 games
- Makai Lemon (USC): 78 receptions, 1,124 yards, 10 touchdowns in 11 games
- Jeremiah Smith (Ohio State): 69 receptions, 902 yards, 10 touchdowns in 10 games
Bell, a senior who transferred to the Huskies from Wisconsin last season, doubled the number of receptions he recorded in 2024 (50) this year. He has posted 2,138 yards and 18 touchdowns in 25 appearances for UCONN after recording 755 yards and 6 touchdowns across 26 games as a Badger.
Lemon, a junior from Los Alamitos, leads the Big Ten in receptions, yards and touchdowns through Week 13. He has 3 games with 10-plus receptions in 2025.
Smith, a sophomore, burst onto the scene for the Buckeyes as a freshman a season ago. His encore campaign has been a good one, as he’s tied with Lemon for the Big Ten lead in touchdown grabs.
Bell’s regular season has concluded, but Smith and Lemon each have an opportunity to pad their Biletnikoff resumes this weekend. Ohio State faces Michigan at noon ET (FOX) on Saturday afternoon, while USC battles UCLA (7:30 p.m. ET, NBC) later the same night.
