Tallahassee, Fla. - The Tallahassee Quarterback Club (TQC) Foundation, Inc., the Florida-based creator and sponsor of the Biletnikoff Award, has released the 2018 Biletnikoff Award Preseason Watch List. Among this year’s watch list members are four Sun Belt student-athletes - Malcolm Williams of Coastal Carolina, Georgia State’s Penny Hart, Marcus Green of ULM, and South Alabama’s Jamarius Way.
Williams was named third team All-Sun Belt last fall as a wide receiver as he lead the Chanticleers in receptions (43), receiving yards (793) and receiving touchdowns (seven). Williams finished with 1,093 all-purpose yards (793 yards receiving, 73 rushing, eight punt returns and 219 kick returns) to rank eighth on the CCU single-season list. Also, his 18.44 yards per catch ranks second on the CCU single-season list.
Hart enters the 2018 season ranked No. 1 among active FBS receivers with 2,281 career receiving yards (2,281) and 17 touchdown receptions and fifth with 153 receptions. He is also first in career receptions per game (5.67) and yards per game (84.5) and fifth in consecutive games with a reception (27 - every game he has played). A two-time, first-team all-conference selection, he has been the leading receiver in the Sun Belt Conference in each of his two full seasons.
Green made a name for himself as an All-America kickoff returner, but he also was ULM's leading receiver last year with 55 catches for 847 yards and five scores. He was named Second-Team All-American by Sporting News (athlete) and the Football Writers Association of America (all-purpose player) in 2017. He accounted for a school single-season record 2,008 all-purpose yards and tied for the NCAA FBS lead with four kickoff returns for touchdowns in 2017 and led the Sun Belt in all-purpose yards (167.3 yards per game) and kickoff returns (32.4 avg.) and ranked among the league leaders in receiving yards (fourth at 70.6 ypg.) and receptions (tied for fifth at 4.6 rpg.).
Way started all but one outing for the Jaguars in 2017 — his first season with the program — while leading the team with 47 catches for 762 yards, three touchdown receptions and 799 all-purpose yards; he was chosen second-team all-Sun Belt Conference at the end of the year. Way tied for the team lead with 11 plays of 20-plus yards, which included a squad-best three touchdowns of over 20 yards, and paced South in receptions six times and receiving yards on six occasions with multiple catches in all but one contest. He ranked seventh in the league and among the top 75 in the country with 63.50 receiving yards per game, ending the season among the top 10 on the school season record list in catches (sixth), yards receiving (third), yards per reception (16.21, seventh) and 100-yard receiving games (two, tied for second).
The Biletnikoff Award annually recognizes the 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 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.
The 2018 Biletnikoff Award winner will be presented live on December 6, 2018, on The Home Depot College Football Awards presented by Gildan to be broadcast 7:00 - 9:00pm (EST) on ESPN. College and pro football hall of famer Fred Biletnikoff will announce the 2018 Biletnikoff Award winner on the show.
2018 Biletnikoff Award Watch List
JJ Arcega-Whiteside - Stanford
Tyre Brady - Marshall
A.J. Brown - Ole Miss
Marquise Brown - Oklahoma
Trevon Brown - East Carolina
Ryan Davis - Auburn
Greg Dortch - Wake Forest
Terren Encalade - Tulane
Dez Fitzpatrick - Louisville
James Gardner - Miami-Ohio
Jonathan Giles - LSU
Marcus Green - ULM
Jalen Guyton - North Texas
Emanuel Hall - Missouri
Justin Hall - Ball State
Kelvin Harmon - North Carolina State
N'Keal Harry - Arizona State
Penny Hart - Georgia State
Justin Hobbs - Tulsa
Andy Isabella - Massachusetts
Gary Jennings Jr. - West Virginia
Anthony Johnson - Buffalo
Collin Johnson - Texas
Diontae Johnson - Toledo
KeeSean Johnson - Fresno State
CeeDee Lamb - Oklahoma
Michael Lawrence - North Texas
Ty Lee - Middle Tennessee
McLane Mannix - Nevada
Scott Miller - Bowling Green
Denzel Mims - Baylor
Stanley Morgan, Jr. - Nebraska
Kanawai Noa - California
James Proche - SMU
T.J. Rahming - Duke
Ahmmon Richards - Miami
Deebo Samuel - South Carolina
David Sills, V - West Virginia
Steven Sims, Jr. - Kansas
Jaylen Smith - Louisville
Kwadarrius Smith - Akron
JD Spielman - Nebraska
Cody Thompson - Toledo
John Ursua - Hawaii
Teddy Veal - Louisiana Tech
Jamarius Way - South Alabama
Nick Westbrook - Indiana
Vic Wharton, III - California
Malcolm Williams - Coastal Carolina
Olamide Zaccheaus - Virginia