TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — UTSA senior wide receiver Joshua Cephus has been added to the Biletnikoff Award watch list, the Tallahassee Quarterback Club Foundation, Inc., announced Wednesday.
Cephus, Malachi Corley of Western Kentucky, Oronde Gadsden II of Syracuse, Shocky Jacques-Louis of Akron, Jaylin Lane of Middle Tennessee and Jonathan Mingo of Ole Miss were the six new members added to the watch list today.
Cephus joins senior teammates De'Corian Clark, who was added last month, and Zakhari Franklin, who landed on the preseason list, making UTSA and Ohio State the only two schools with three players on this year's Biletnikoff Award watch list.
The Biletnikoff Award recognizes the college football season's most 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.
A Houston native, Cephus has caught 61 passes for 692 yards and three touchdowns this season. He ranks fifth in the FBS with a league-leading 7.6 receptions per game and he stands in the top 25 nationally in receiving yards and receiving yards per game (86.5). According to Pro Football Focus, he does not have a drop in 79 targets, the most without a drop in the FBS this season.
Cephus has logged three 100-yard games in 2022. He started the campaign by piling up 106 yards on seven receptions, including a 51-yard catch-and-run that opened the scoring for UTSA against No. 24 Houston. He followed that with 112 yards on 10 receptions in the 41-38 overtime triumph over Army. He topped the century mark for the third time with a career-high 114 yards and a TD on five receptions versus Texas Southern. The Dekaney High School product hauled in a career-best 11 passes — the second-most in a game in program history — for 88 yards and a score in the 31-27 victory over North Texas in his last outing.
Cephus now has turned 198 career catches — 12th among active FBS players — into 2,195 yards and 15 touchdowns during his career, marks that rank in the top three on the program's all-time chart.
Recently, the Tallahassee Quarterback Club Foundation opened the 2022 FanVote. Every fan may vote once daily on the Biletnikoff Award FanVote page. The aggregate fan tally will be counted as one official vote to determine semifinalists (10 receivers), finalists (three receivers) and the winner.
The 2022 Biletnikoff Award winner will be presented the Biletnikoff Award trophy by TQC Foundation Chairman Mark Ryan and the banquet keynote speaker Drew Pearson, member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, at the black-tie Biletnikoff Award Banquet & Celebration at the Dunlap Champions Club, on March 4, 2023, at Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee.
The semifinalists, finalists and award recipient are selected by the highly distinguished Biletnikoff Award National Selection Committee, a group of 610 prominent college football journalists, commentators, announcers, Biletnikoff Award winners and other former receivers. Foundation trustees do not vote and have never voted. For a list of voters, please see BiletnikoffAward.com/voters.
The Biletnikoff Award candidate eligibility and voting criteria, transparently explicit and detailed, are available for review at BiletnikoffAward.com/criteria.
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