Treadwell Named Biletnikoff Award Finalist

Laquon Treadwell catches a pass at the Ole Miss vs. New Mexico State University game in Oxford. Photo by Josh Bonner/Libertine Images

Ole Miss junior Laquon Treadwell has been named one of three finalists for the 2015 Biletnikoff Award, the Tallahassee Quarterback Club Foundation, Inc., announced Tuesday.

The Biletnikoff Award annually recognizes the college football season’s outstanding receiver, regardless of position (any player at any position who catches a legal forward pass is eligible).

In addition to Treadwell, the other finalists are Baylor’s Corey Coleman and TCU’s Josh Doctson.

Treadwell, a 6-foot-2, 210-pound wide receiver from Crete, Illinois, has been a star for the Rebels since the first game he played two years ago. He has set records and been a go-to target for Ole Miss quarterbacks throughout his career, and overcame excruciating adversity when he suffered a broken leg and dislocated ankle at the end of last year’s Auburn game, missing the final four contests of his sophomore season.

Treadwell returned to action this year and has performed even better than before his injury. He is the Southeastern Conference leader in receptions (6.5/game) and receiving yards (96.4/game) and on pace to break the single-season Ole Miss records in both categories. He is third in the SEC with eight touchdown catches. He ranks top 25 nationally in all three categories.

But Treadwell’s influence goes far beyond the stats. He is a dominant blocker on the outside, routinely crushing defenders on outside running plays and screens. Defenses have to be aware of where Treadwell lines up on each play. And he’s even thrown and completed two passes this year for 89 yards, including a 68-yard touchdown to Quincy Adeboyejo against Memphis.

In his career, Treadwell is seven catches shy of breaking the all-time Ole Miss record for catches, currently held by Chris Collins at 198. Treadwell is just shy of the SEC’s top 10 in all-time catches, and he’s the league’s active career leader in receptions, receiving yards and touchdown catches. He’s caught a pass in all 33 games at Ole Miss, including a school-record 14 against Memphis. He’s had a touchdown catch in each of the Rebels’ last six games this year.

Treadwell is the first Ole Miss player to ever be named a finalist for the Biletnikoff Award. Thanks to the always tough SEC defenses and shut-down defensive backs, he’s only the 10th finalist from the SEC in the award’s 22-year history, and six of the 10 were from 1994-2001.

The secure and confidential electronic voting by the distinguished members of the Biletnikoff Award National Selection Committee was conducted from November 17 through November 22. Voting for the winner begins December 1 and runs through December 6.
Fans may now help determine which of the three finalists will be named the 2015 Biletnikoff Award winner by voting as often as once daily at the Biletnikoff Award FanVote. Fan voting for the winner opens today and runs through midnight on December 6. In 2013, Biletnikoff Award winner Brandin Cooks’ one vote margin of victory was the result of his winning the FanVote tally.

In all, three Biletnikoff Award winners have seen victory margins of only one national selection committee vote.

The three aggregate fan votes for winner among the three finalists will count in descending order as the equivalent of one first place, one second place, and one third place national selection committee vote, respectively, for those three receivers for winner.

To access the Biletnikoff Award FanVote today, go to: http://biletnikoffaward.com/fan-vote.

The composition of the Biletnikoff Award National Selection Committee, comprised of distinguished college football journalists, commentators, former receivers, past Biletnikoff Award winners, coaches, and players, appears at http://biletnikoffaward.com/voters.

The Biletnikoff Award Fan Forum is a discussion of fan-created topics, including who should win the Biletnikoff Award, what teams should be in the college playoff, what is the most-overrated college sports team in history, who should win the Heisman Trophy, and many other interesting topics. It is easy to post: simply register and express your opinion.

To access the Biletnikoff Award Forum today, go to: http://biletnikoffaward.com/forum.

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

The 2015 Biletnikoff Award winner will be announced live by 1991 Heisman Trophy winner and former receiver Desmond Howard on December 10, 2015, on ESPN’s The Home Depot College Awards show, at 7 p.m. (EST), at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta, Georgia. Desmond Howard is one of only five ends or receivers who has won the Heisman Trophy, joining Larry Kelley, Leon Hart, Johnny Rodgers and Tim Brown.

The 2015 Biletnikoff Award recipient will be honored and will receive his trophy, winner of national trophy competitions for aesthetic and design excellence, at the Biletnikoff Award banquet, an annual black tie event attended by 600 patrons and broadcast by ESPN3, at the University Center Club, Doak Campbell Stadium, Tallahassee, Florida, on Saturday, January 30, 2016. The Biletnikoff Award banquet was hailed by 2013 keynote speaker Larry Csonka and 2014 keynoter Dick Vermeil as “the best banquet in college sports.”

Consistent with a long line of outstanding keynote speakers (including Bart Starr, Don Shula, Larry Csonka, Mike Ditka, Archie Manning, Steve Largent, and Dick Vermeil), College Football Hall of Fame and Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee Bob Griese will address the Biletnikoff Award banquet audience and, with all-time great college and pro hall of fame receiver Fred Biletnikoff, present the beautiful Biletnikoff Award trophy to the 2015 award winner. The pair will also recognize the Foundation’s 2016 scholarship recipients, who annually are offered $900,000 in college and vocational school scholarships and benefits.

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 extra-curricular levels.

The Biletnikoff Award is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA), which encompasses the most prestigious awards in college football. The 22 awards boast 700 years of tradition-selection excellence. Visit www.NCFAA.org to learn more about the NCFAA’s history.

Beginning in 2015, The Home Depot College Football Awards will have a new home at the College Football Hall of Fame and Chick-fil-A Fan Experience in downtown Atlanta. Airing live on ESPN on December 10, 2015, college football’s brightest stars will be honored for their performance on and off the field.

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Courtesy of Ole Miss Athletics