Adam Bradford, Trojans WireWed, November 26, 2025 at 7:59 PM UTC·1 min readUSC wide receiver Makai Lemon has been having an incredible season. Through 11 games, he leads the Power Four with 78 receptions for 1,124 yards and ten touchdowns. Last week, I wrote an article stating that Lemon should be the favorite to win the Biletnikoff Award, presented annually to the top pass catcher in the country.
Well, it appears that the country has taken notice. On Tuesday, the Biletnikoff finalists were announced, and Lemon was indeed one of them.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementJoining Lemon among the finalists are Skyler Bell of UConn and Jeremiah Smith of Ohio State. Bell currently has better statistics than Lemon, but has played against a lower level of competition. Smith, meanwhile, has put up worse numbers playing in the same conference, so it would take a massive performance this week against Michigan (as well as potentially in the Big Ten Championship Game the following week) to give him a legitimate argument for the award.
The Biletnikoff Award has been presented annually since 1994. During that period, the only Trojan to win the award is Marqise Lee in 2012. Prior to Lemon, the last USC player to be named a finalist was Michael Pittman Jr. in 2019.
In addition to the selection committee, there is also a Biletnikoff Award fan vote. Fans can cast their vote for the award at this particular link.
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: USC football’s Makai Lemon named Biletnikoff Award finalist
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