THE
SEMIFINALISTS BALLOT
Three candidates
are likely to be finalists for this award and they are reflected
here in my Top Four choices: Tre Harris, Tetairoa McMillan and
Travis Hunter.
If the evaluation
was based purely on statistics, San Jose State receiver Nick Nash
is at the top lighting up the numbers. Colorado receiver Travis
Hunter is a leading Heisman Trophy candidate based on not just
his receiving skills, but also on his cover skills as a defensive
back. Hunter plays on both sides of the ball with no drop off.
Tre Harris
for Ole Miss leads all receivers with 141 yards receiving per
game. The Louisiana Tech transfer was a unanimous selection for
First Team Midseason All-American status by most every outlet.
However, he has not played in a game for over a month due to a
lower leg injury that caused him to miss the last three games.
If he does not return for his last two games versus Florida and
Mississippi State, he won't win this award.
Tetairoa McMillan from Arizona has been impressive
for three straight seasons. Since winning a Freshman of The Year
award in 2022, followed up by an All-American season in 2023,
McMillan is in this race. The Hawai'i native boasts some of the
best athleticism on this entire list with a large reel of highlight
catches.
Two freshman receivers with a huge high school
recruiting pedigree highlight the group in Jeremiah Smith (Ohio
State) and Ryan Williams (Alabama). They are both sure to be in
this conversation for years to come.
When looking for a Dark Horse type candidate,
Maryland receiver Tai Felton is racking up significant numbers
playing against teams who do all they can to focus on shutting
him down. No luck, his 86 receptions is second on this list only
behind Nick Nash.
The difficulty
of finalizing a list of the nation's best ten receivers among
50+ candidates can be daunting. Many post-season awards such as
the Heisman Trophy require a voter to just select three candidates
one time. Others such at the Biletnikoff Award require a voter
to pick a multitude of semi-finalists, then whittle it down to
finalists and then eventually a winner. After two decades of putting
together both preseason and post-season lists, this voter attempts
to look at every piece of information available. Certainly statistics
play a huge role if not the biggest. Second in line is the eye
test. A voter has to watch as many games and highlights as possible.
There is also consideration given to strength of schedule, the
type of offense being employed, how a candidate has proven themselves
over the past two to three seasons, not just the season at hand.
Although these awards are 100% based on 2024, there are times
when close decisions call for more indulgence such as "Was
this player a one year wonder?" or "Has this player
been at the top of awards lists for more than just 2024?"
So many factors to consider. In a case like the Biletnikoff Award,
sometimes the best defense faced is not the same as the best cover
man being faced. There is much to consider and selections should
not made in haste.
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