As we reach the midseason mark, talk about the various individual awards has started. Last year, on his way to winning the Heisman award, Colorado’s two-way star, Travis Hunter, also snagged several other honors. That included the Fred Biletnikoff Award, given to the most outstanding receiver in college football. Fox analyst Joel Klatt has a surprising name for the 2025 winner, and it’s not one from the AP Top 10 teams.

On the 15th October episode of his show, Klatt gave out his top 5 names who are in contention to win the award. The list started with none other than Lincoln Riley’s WR, Makai Lemon. “He’s currently third in the country in receiving. He’s got 114 yards per game. And he’s been tremendous. And they’ve been doing this at points without Ja’Kobi Lane on the other side. So, he’s been the focal point of that offense at times. And he has come through. He’s got a great feel for space and great hands. He’s tough. He goes over the middle and catches a lot of those passes from Maiava.”

Makai Lemon has 1441 receiving yards since arriving at USC in 2023. He finished the freshman year with 6 receptions for 88 yards. Then he broke out in his sophomore season with 52 catches for 764 yards and three TDs over 12 games. He has established himself as a premier wide receiver with 44 passes for 682 yards and 6 TDs in just six games so far.

Lemon stands third nationally in receiving yards (113.7 per game) and has forced 13 missed tackles. All this while maintaining a perfect zero-drop rate. He has positioned himself as QB Jayden Maiava’s safety net.

Be it his own coach or analysts, he is rated highly by all. Coach Lincoln Riley says of his WR, “He’s [Lemon] a guy that we feel like can do a lot of different things well on the field, and that allows us to use him in different areas and be creative and try to get him in situations where we feel like the advantage is going to be ours.”

ESPN NFL Draft Analyst Jordan Reid says, “Lemon is a savvy route runner who catches everything, and he can be effective from the slot or on the outside. I actually think he can battle Tyson as a WR1 candidate.” Proving his standing among the analysts.

Makai Lemon is consistently ranked as a first-round pick in the 2026 NFL draft in Mock Drafts. CBS Sports projects him to the Seahawks at No. 19, while ESPN’s Jordan Reid has him in the 20s, and Mel Kiper ranks him sixth overall on his big board. Lemon also topped the preseason watch lists for the Biletnikov Award. He leads the nation in receiving yards and yards per game.

But the biggest growth that Lemon has shown is in terms of leadership. With Lane struggling with injury issues, Lemon didn’t let his absence hamper the offense. Even in the loss against Illinois, Lemon had 151 yards and two touchdowns on 11 receptions. Last week against Michigan, he contributed with 93 yards on nine receptions. What makes his case even stronger is that USC arguably has the best offense in the country, and he’ll continue to stack up the yards.

Other Standouts in the Biletnikoff Race

Joel Klatt had four other names in his favorites to win the award. Following Lemon was Texas A&M’s Mario Craver. His chemistry with Marcel Reed has added another dimension to the Aggies’ offense. The best version of that chemistry was seen against Notre Dame at South Bend when the Aggies’ offense just didn’t let the home side breathe. Craver had 207 receiving yards on just 7 receptions.

Then comes the best WR in college football. How can you not have Jeremiah Smith in these discussions? He’s the only WR still in contention to win the Heisman this season. Although Ohio State’s defense is in transition with Julian Sayin as their QB1, Smith continues to produce week in, week out. The big receiving numbers may not be there every game, but when you check how the game panned out, you’d find Smith opening the door for the Ohio State offense. That’s what we saw when they took down Washington at the Husky Stadium.

Klatt also named Tennessee’s Chris Brazzell II in his list. He has recorded 531 yards and seven scores through seven games. Brazzell uses a wide catch radius and sharp route technique. The last name on his list? Indiana’s Elijah Sarratt.