Josh Kelly named to Biletnikoff Award watch list

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Texas Tech senior wide receiver Josh Kelly was one of 49 FBS receivers named to the 2024 Biletnikoff Award Preseason Watch List, the Tallahassee Quarterback Club Foundation announced on Wednesday. The Biletnikoff Award annually recognizes the college football season’s most outstanding FBS receiver, regardless of position.

Kelly, who arrived from Washington State, was locked in as a Red Raider on Dec. 20 as part of head coach Joey McGuire’s standout early signing period class that included its second Top 25 class of high school recruits in as many years and a collection of impact transfers.

Kelly was among the top wide receivers in the country in 2023, recording 61 catches and led Washington State with 923 receiving yards and eight touchdowns. He arrived at Texas Tech as a graduate transfer and will have one year with the Red Raiders. The Fresno, Calif. native has appeared in 38 collegiate games and made 148 catches over his career for 2,228 yards and 12 touchdowns. He spent one season at Washington State (2023) and four seasons at Fresno State (2019-22) before arriving in Lubbock.

The Biletnikoff Award selection committee will name its semifinalists on Nov. 18 before determining its three finalists, set to be revealed on Nov. 26. The final vote to determine the Biletnikoff Award Winner will take place from Nov. 26-Dec. 7 as it prepares to select the recipient of the 2024 Biletnikoff Award, which will be announced live on The Home Depot College Football Awards on Dec. 12, 2024.

Texas Tech has a strong lineage of producing standout wide receivers, topped by none other than the two-time winner of the Biletnikoff Award, Michael Crabtree over the 2007 and 2008 seasons. He became the first-ever two-time winner of the award.

ABOUT THE BILETNIKOFF AWARD
The Biletnikoff Award annually recognizes the college football season’s outstanding FBS receiver. Any player, regardless of position (wide receiver, tight end, slot back, and running back) who catches a pass is eligible for the award. As such, the Biletnikoff Award recognizes college football’s outstanding receiver, not merely college football’s outstanding wide receiver. Tight end Kyle Pitts was a finalist in 2020 and other tight ends were semifinalists in prior years. Moreover, the Biletnikoff Award is a single-season, not career, award.

Its namesake, Fred Biletnikoff, is a member of the pro and college football halls of fame, was a consensus All-America receiver at Florida State and an All-Pro receiver for the Oakland Raiders. He caught 589 passes for 8,974 yards and 76 touchdowns in his 14-year Raiders career from 1965 through 1978. Fred was the Most Valuable Player of Super Bowl XI.

NCFAA WATCH LISTS
The Biletnikoff Award is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA), which encompasses college football’s most prestigious awards. Sixteen NCFAA members are unveiling preseason watch lists over a two-week-plus period as the association spearheads a coordinated effort to promote each award’s preseason candidates.

The following is the 2024 preseason watch list calendar:

For more information about the NCFAA and its college football awards, visit the redesigned NCFAA.org or follow on Twitter @NCFAA.

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Release Provided By Matt Burkholder Texas Tech Athletics