On Friday, Dec. 12, USC junior wide receiver Makai Lemon was named the winner of the 2025 Biletnikoff Award, the Tallahassee Quarterback Club Foundation announced.
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, wing back or running back) who catches a pass is eligible for the award.
Lemon undoubtedly had a fantastic season and positioned himself to be one of the first wide receivers taken in the 2026 NFL draft. However, there was another wide receiver in Ohio State that would have liked to hear his name called instead of Lemon’s.
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Ohio State star Jeremiah Smith won Big Ten Receiver of the Year over Lemon earlier this offseason, but couldn’t win the award given to the best receiver in college football.
Lemon won the award after catching 79 passes for 1,156 yards and 11 touchdowns in 12 games this season. Smith, by comparison, has 80 receptions for 1,086 yards and 11 touchdowns in 12 games this season.
After losing out on the award, Smith took to social media with a warning for the rest of college football.
It’s a clear message the star wide receiver is ready to take his game to the next level. That’s bad news for the winner of a College Football Playoff game between Miami and Texas A&M, who face off on Dec. 20.
The winner faces off against Ohio State – and an angry Jeremiah Smith – in the Cotton Bowl on New Year’s Eve.
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