Maryland football is in the midst of a bye week, but the accolades don’t stop for WR Tai Felton after he was added to the Biletnikoff Award Watch List, an annual award to college football's most outstanding receiver, regardless of position, the Tallahassee Quarterback Club announced on Wednesday.
Semifinalists for the award will be announced on Nov. 18, 2024 and three finalists will be named on Nov. 26, 2024. The Biletnikoff Award Winner will be announced on The Home Depot College Football Awards, which will air live on ESPN on Dec. 12, 2024.
Felton currently leads the Big Ten in receptions (46) and receiving yards (642) and is tied for third in receiving TDs (5). His reception and receiving yard numbers both rank third overall among FBS players. The senior wide receiver was also projected to land in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft earlier this week, potentially becoming the first wide receiver drafted since Mike Locksley took over as head coach.
The 2023 All-Big Ten honoree had at least 100 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown in each of his first four games of the season. He is the first player in program history to start a season with four consecutive 100-yard games and just the third Big Ten player to do so since 1996, joining Garrett Wilson of Ohio State in 2020 and Charles Rogers of Michigan State in 2002. Felton also became just the second Terp in program history to have any four consecutive games with 100+ receiving yards, tying the mark Jermaine Lewis set in 1994.
“Tai Felton is one of my favorite players, man. And he's my one of my favorite players because of seeing the way he has developed in our program,” head coach Mike Locksley said last week. “It's a reflection that what we talk about being a growth mindset, a developmental program – Tai embodies. Two years ago, I was doing some research for this. A couple years ago, it was written about how the ball hit off his facemask against Michigan I think in one of our papers. Talked about, a year ago, I think we wrote about he dropped a big play against Northwestern that maybe could have helped us win the game. And now everybody's like Tai Felton is the best thing since sliced bread. And you know what? He is. and I don't say his past to take away from what he's doing. But what I'm saying is Tai Felton has developed in our program. And if some people give us the ability to develop these players, you won't be as surprised about what Tai Felton does. Because nobody in our building is surprised. Because if you got to know him, if you see what I get to see every single day. This kid and Leon Haughton caught tennis balls off the tennis ball machine from 11 to 1 [AM] every night during the summer and all last season. And you know what? Tai is a byproduct of his work ethic, his effort that he puts in, and what this program kind of tries to do develop with people. So that's my soapbox.”
Related Links
Comments