Miami football 1st nationally with 3 players named on Biletnikoff Award Watch list

The Miami football led all programs nationally with three players named to the Biletnikoff Award watch list on Wednesday. Sam Brown, Jacolby George and Xavier Restrepo are all on the Biletnikoff Award watch list. Colorado, Iowa State, Notre Dame, Memphis and Oklahoma State each had two players named to the Biletnikoff Award watch list.

Forty-one out of the 41 out of the 134 Football Bowl Subdivision are represented on the Biletnikoff Award Preseason Watch list. The Biletnikoff Award is named after former Florida State and Oakland Raiders and College and Pro Football Hall of Famer Fred Biletnikoff. No Miami receiver has won the Biletnikoff Award.

The Biletnikoff Award recognizes the outstanding FBS receiver regardless of position. Running backs, tight ends and wide receivers are all eligible. Brown, George and Restrepo each had at least 800 yards receiving in 2024. Pro Football Focus graded Miami as the seventh-best WR unit nationally entering the 2024 season.

Brown had 1,286 receiving yards in two seasons with Houston. In 2023, Brown had 62 receptions for 815 yards and three touchdowns. Brown spent two seasons at West Virginia before transferring to Houston in 2022. Miami offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson was in the same position at Houston in 2022.

George set career highs with 57 receptions and 864 receiving yards while leading Miami with eight TDs in 2023 to earn third-team All-ACC. George had five receptions for a career high 153 yards and both Miami TDs in the 27-20 loss at Florida State last season. With more consistency in 2024, George can improve on his 2023 numbers.

Restrepo set the Miami single-season record with 85 receptions and had the fifth-highest total in one year with 1,092 yards and added six TDs in 2024, Restrepo is on pace to break the Miami career records for receptions set by Mike Harley and receiving yards by Santana Moss by the end of the 2024 season.