The Tallahassee Quarterback Club Foundation announced today that Clemson wide receiver Justyn Ross has been named as one of 51 players on the watch list for the Biletnikoff Award. Additional information from award organizers is included below.
Tallahassee, FL – The Tallahassee Quarterback Club (TQC) Foundation, Inc., the Florida-based creator and sponsor of the prestigious Biletnikoff Award, has released the 2021 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 2021 Biletnikoff Award winner will be presented the Biletnikoff Award trophy by TQC Foundation Chairman Roger Champion, keynoter and college hall of famer and two-time Heisman Trophy winner Archie Griffin, and college and pro football hall of famer Fred Biletnikoff at the Biletnikoff Award Banquet & Celebration at the University Center Club at Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee on Saturday, March 5, 2022. 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, the late 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, Chad Hennings, 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 2021 Biletnikoff Award Preseason Watch List(Other receivers will be added as their season performances dictate)
Jordan Addison, PittCalvin Austin III, MemphisDavid Bell, PurdueRonnie Bell, MichiganMax Borghi, Washington StateKayshon Boutte, LSUTreylon Burks, ArkansasElijah Cooks, NevadaJacob Cowing, UTEPDontay Demus Jr., MarylandJahan Dotson, Penn StateRomeo Doubs, NevadaEmeka Emezie, NC StateErik Ezukanma, Texas TechZay Flowers, Boston CollegeZakhari Franklin, UTSATy Fryfogle, IndianaKaylon Geiger, Texas TechJustin Hall, Ball StateMike Harley, MiamiTaj Harris, SyracuseJaivon Heiligh, Coastal CarolinaXavier Hutchinson, Iowa StateJohnny Johnson III, OregonBilly Kemp IV, VirginiaCharlie Kolar, Iowa StateIsaiah Likely, Coastal CarolinaDrake London, USCMichael Mayer, Notre DameBo Melton, RutgersJohn Metchie III, AlabamaMarvin Mims, OklahomaChris Olave, Ohio StateSam Pinckney, Georgia StateRashee Rice, SMUJaquarii Roberson, Wake ForestReggie Roberson Jr., SMUJaylon Robinson, UCFGunner Romney, BYUJustyn Ross, ClemsonBradley Rozner, RiceKhalil Shakir, Boise StateKeylon Stokes, TulsaJalen Tolbert, South AlabamaCole Turner, NevadaJaden Walley, Mississippi StateTahj Washington, USCGarrett Wilson, Ohio StateMichael Wilson, StanfordMike Woods, OklahomaJalen Wydermyer, Texas A&M
