TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Record-setting Ole Miss junior A.J. Brown is one of 11 semifinalists for the 2018 Biletnikoff Award, the Tallahassee Quarterback Club Foundation Inc. announced Monday.
The Biletnikoff Award annually recognizes the outstanding Football Bowl Subdivision 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.
Brown leads the Southastern Conference and ranks fifth nationally in receiving yards with 1,047. His 7.2 receptions per game rank eighth in the NCAA. Brown recently became Ole Miss’ all-time leading receiver with 2,711 yards, passing Shay Hodge’s (2006-09) mark of 2,646.
The Starkville native has five 100-yard receiving games this season, including three straight. Brown is the only Ole Miss receiver in program history to record 60 or more receptions in back-to-back seasons, as well as the only Rebel wideout to go over 1,000 yards receiving in multiple seasons.
Fred Biletnikoff, a member of the pro and college football halls of fame, was a consensus All-America receiver at Florida State, 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. Biletnikoff was the Most Valuable Player of Super Bowl XI.
Three finalists will be announced Nov. 19 following another vote by the Biletnikoff Award National Selection Committee, a group of prominent college football journalists, commentators, announcers, Biletnikoff Award winners, and other former receivers.
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