Richards Selected to Biletnikoff Watch List
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Sophomore Ahmmon Richards was among the 46 student-athletes named to the watch list for the 2017 Biletnikoff Award, the Tallahassee Quarterback Club (TQC) Foundation, Inc., announced Tuesday.
The Biletnikoff Award annually recognizes the outstanding receiver in college football. Any player, regardless of position – including wide receiver, tight end, slot back and running back – who catches a pass is eligible for the award. The award recipient is selected by the highly distinguished Biletnikoff Award National Selection Committee, a group of prominent college football journalists, commentators, and former receivers.
Richards is the eighth Hurricane to pick up accolades this preseason; senior kicker Michael Badgley (Groza Award), senior wide receiver / punt returner Braxton Berrios (Hornung Award), senior tight end Christopher Herndon IV (Mackey Award), junior defensive lineman Kendrick Norton (Bednarik Award, Nagurski Award, Outland Trophy), sophomore linebacker Shaquille Quarterman (Bednarik, Butkus, Nagurski), senior defensive lineman Chad Thomas (Nagurski) and running back Mark Walton (Maxwell Award) have also been recognized with preseason accolades.
A Freshman All-America selection by several media outlets a season ago, Richards delivered one of the best seasons by a freshman in Miami history in 2016. Richards set the Hurricanes freshman receiving record and led the team with 934 receiving yards on 49 receptions, second-most among all pass-catchers.
Richards finished with three touchdown receptions and averaged 19.1 yards per catch. His 934 receiving yards led all freshmen nationally and were the sixth-most in a single season by any player in Miami history. Richards totaled more than 100 receiving yards in four games in 2016, and set the freshman record for single-game receiving yards with 144 in a win over Pittsburgh.
The 2017 Biletnikoff Award winner will be presented live on Dec. 7, 2017, on The Home Depot College Football Awards Show to be broadcast 7 p.m. – 9 p.m. (EST) on ESPN. College Football Hall of Famer, Heisman Trophy winner and Biletnikoff Award voter Desmond Howard will present the 2017 Biletnikoff Award winner on the show.
The transparently detailed and explicit criteria for candidate eligibility, watch list inclusion, and voting appear at: BiletnikoffAward.com/criteria
The Tallahassee Quarterback Club Foundation, Inc., will announce the 10 Biletnikoff Award semifinalists on Nov. 13, 2017, following the vote by the members of the Biletnikoff Award National Selection Committee. Likewise, the three finalists will be declared, following another vote, on Nov. 21, 2017. For complete details and updates of interest, together with weekly statistics and timely, important news of the Biletnikoff Award candidates, as well as a fan vote and discussion board, please consult the Foundation’s highly informative website at BiletnikoffAward.com.
The name Biletnikoff is synonymous with the term receiver. Fred Biletnikoff, a member of the pro and college football halls of fame, was an 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 Tallahassee Quarterback Club Foundation (TQC), Inc., created the Biletnikoff Award in 1994.
