Announcement of Ten Semifinalists of the Biletnikoff Award, Which Recognizes the College Football Season's Outstanding FBS Receiver Regardless of Position.

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For Immediate Release: November 15, 2021

2020-21 Foundation Chairman George Avant, Jr., presents the beautiful Biletnikoff Award trophy to DeVonta Smith, 2020 winner, with Coach Holmon Wiggins and keynoter and College Football Hall of Famer Chad Hennings watching at the 27th Biletnikoff Award Banquet & Celebration on Saturday, March 6, 2021. The banquet will return to its usual black tie, evening event on Saturday, March 5, 2022.

Tallahassee, FL - The Tallahassee Quarterback Club (TQC) Foundation, Inc., the Florida-based creator and sponsor of the prestigious Biletnikoff Award, announces the semifinalists for the 2021 Biletnikoff Award. The secure and confidential electronic voting by the distinguished members of the Biletnikoff Award National Selection Committee was conducted from November 8th through November 14th, and certified by a prominent CPA firm.

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.

The Biletnikoff Award candidate eligibility and voting criteria, transparently explicit and detailed, are available for review at BiletnikoffAward.com/criteria.

Recently, the Tallahassee Quarterback Club Foundation opened the 2021 FanVote. Every fan may vote once daily on the Biletnikoff Award FanVote page. The aggregate fan tally will be counted as one official vote to determine semi-finalists (ten receivers), finalists (three receivers), and the winner. In the closest contest in years, the FanVote tally provided the one-vote margin of victory for 2013 winner Brandin Cooks of Oregon State.

The 2021 Biletnikoff Award semifinalists are as follows (in alphabetical order):

Jordan Addison, Pitt

David Bell, Purdue

Jahan Dotson, Penn State

Josh Downs, North Carolina

Drake London, USC

Chris Olave, Ohio State

A.T. Perry, Wake Forest

Jerreth Sterns, Western Kentucky

Deven Thompkins, Utah State

Jameson Williams, Alabama

2021 Biletnikoff Award winner DeVonta Smith

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.

2022 Biletnikoff Award keynote speaker and college hall of famer Archie Griffin

2021-22 Foundation Chairman Roger Champion

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.

2021 Scholarship Recipients

2020 Scholarship Recipients

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 Biletnikoff Award

The Biletnikoff Award annually recognizes the college football season's outstanding FBS receiver. Any player, regardless of position (wide receiver, tight end, slot or inside receiver, wingback, and running back) who catches a pass is eligible for the award.

(BiletnikoffAward.com/about_award)

The TQC Foundation, Inc., is an independent, charitable organization that was founded in 1994. Past Chairman & Founding Trustee Professor Walter W. Manley II, Founding Trustee L. Thomas Cox, Jr., Founding Trustee Rocky Bevis, and Founding Trustee Bob Teel established the award and the TQC Foundation, Inc., that sponsors it. Many more trustees have contributed to its development as one of the most prominent awards in college football. The TQC Foundation, Inc., joined the idea of a college receiver's award to the organization's vision and created the outstanding award and dynamic organization.

The trophy, presented to each winner, is the most beautiful in college football - it has won several national, juried competitions for design excellence and aesthetic appeal.

Likewise, the website and printed banquet program have been cited nationally for excellence in design.

The Tallahassee Quarterback Club Foundation, Inc., a 501(c)(3) organization, is the creator and sponsor of the Biletnikoff Award. The Foundation administers the Biletnikoff Award, its charitable activities, and the distinguished Biletnikoff Award National Selection Committee. Foundation Trustees are prohibited from serving on the National Selection Committee. For a full recounting of the Foundation's activities, please consult BiletnikoffAward.com.

National College Football Awards Association

The Biletnikoff Award is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA), which encompasses the most prestigious awards in college football. Founded in 1997, the NCFAA and its 25 awards now boast over 800 recipients, dating to 1935. Visit ncfaa.org and @NCFAA on Twitter to learn more about the association.