TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – A pair of Conference USA standouts were selected to the Biletnikoff Award Watch List, presented to the nation’s best receiver. WKU junior WR Malachi Corley and UTEP senior WR Tyrin Smith represent CUSA on the watch list, the Tallahassee Quarterback Club Foundation announced Monday.
Corley, a preseason All-American selection by several publications (Athlon – fourth team, Phil Steele – fourth team and College Football News – honorable mention) and member of both the Maxwell Award and Wuerffel Trophy preseason watch lists, is the nation’s leading returning receiver. The Orange City, Fla., native caught 101 passes for 1,295 yards and 11 touchdowns last season, making him one of the top receivers in the country. He also led college football in yards after catch with 975 and missed tackles forced with 40.
Smith started all 12 games at receiver for the Miners in 2022 and led the team in receptions (71), receiving yards (1,039) and touchdown catches (seven). He was an all-conference honorable mention selection by the league’s head coaches, and was just one of five CUSA student-athletes with over 1,000 yards receiving last year and became the eighth UTEP receiver in program history to surpass the 1,000-yard plateau. The Cibolo, Texas, native ranked second in receiving yards per game (86.6), third in receiving yards and fourth in receptions among CUSA receivers.
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 650 prominent college football journalists, commentators, announcers, Biletnikoff Award winners, and other former receivers. Foundation trustees don’t 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 2023 Biletnikoff Award winner will be presented the Biletnikoff Award trophy by TQC Founding Trustee and Chairman Walter Manley II, Fred Biletnikoff, and the 1996 Heisman Trophy winner and national champion Danny Wuerffel, keynote speaker, at the black-tie Biletnikoff Award Banquet & Celebration at the Dunlap Champions Club, at Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee on Saturday, March 9, 2024.
The 501(c)(3) TQC Foundation’s charitable mission is the provision of college and vocational scholarships to North Florida high school seniors who have overcome significant challenges to achieve at the highest academic and extracurricular levels. Participation in sports is not a requirement, but does count as an extracurricular activity. The all-volunteer Foundation has provided over 300 scholarships with benefits of nearly five million dollars through 2022. TQC Foundation Chairman Manley, serving his 26th year as fundraising chairman, recently announced a goal of 10 million dollars to be awarded in scholarships by 2030 doubling the current aggregate total of $5 million awarded through 2023.
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.
-ConferenceUSA.com-
