SMU’s Johnson Named To Biletnikoff Watch List

{fshare id=2802}

Tallahassee, Fla. (TQC/SMU) – SMU senior Darius Johnson has been named to the 2012 Biletnikoff Award Preseason Watch List, the Tallahassee Quarterback Club (TQC) announced. The award annually recognizes the outstanding receiver in college football.

Johnson has been named MVP in back-to-back bowl games for the Mustangs and was a first-team All-C-USA pick in 2011. He wrapped up 2011 with a seven-catch, 120-yard, one-TD performance in SMU’s BBVA Compass Bowl win over Pitt. He finished the year with 79 catches for 1,188 yards and eight TDs.

The award recipient is selected by the Biletnikoff Award National Selection Committee, a group of over 180 prominent football journalists, commentators, and receivers. The TQC will announce the 10 Biletnikoff Award semifinalists on Nov. 12, following a vote by the Biletnikoff Award National Selection Committee. Likewise, the three finalists will be declared, following another vote, on Nov. 19. The 2012 winner will be presented live on Dec. 6, 2012, on The Home Depot College Football Awards Show to be broadcast on ESPN.

The name Biletnikoff is synonymous with the term receiver. Fred Biletnikoff, a member of the pro and college football halls of fame, was an All-Pro receiver with the Oakland Raiders and an All-America receiver at Florida State. He caught 589 passes for 8,974 yards and 76 touchdowns in his 14-year NFL career and was the Most Valuable Player of Super Bowl XI.

The TQC created the Biletnikoff Award in 1994. Sixteen college receivers have won the award, including Randy Moss, Calvin Johnson, Michael Crabtree, and Larry Fitzgerald.