Akron’s Smith Named to Biletnikoff Watch List

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TALLAHASSEE, Fla.– University of Akron senior wide receiver Kwadarrius Smith (Orlando, Fla.) has been named to the 2018 Biletnikoff Award Preseason Watch List, the Tallahassee Quarterback Club Foundation announced on Thursday.

The Biletnikoff Award annually recognizes the outstanding FBS receiver in college football. 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. The award recipient is selected by the highly distinguished Biletnikoff Award National Selection Committee, a group of prominent college football journalists, commentators, announcers, Biletnikoff Award winners, and other former receivers.

Receivers are periodically added to the watch list as their season performances dictate. Actual, not potential, performance is the basis for inclusion on the Biletnikoff Award Watch List.

The transparently detailed and explicit criteria for candidate eligibility, watch list inclusion, and voting appear at: BiletnikoffAward.com/criteria

The 2018 Biletnikoff Award winner will be presented live on December 6, 2018, on The Home Depot College Football Awards, presented by Gildan, to be broadcast 7-9 p.m. (EST) on ESPN. College and pro football hall of famer Fred Biletnikoff will announce the 2018 Biletnikoff Award winner on the show.

The correlation between Biletnikoff Award winners and stardom in the National Football League is nearly uniformly consistent. Past Biletnikoff Award winners include Calvin Johnson, Randy Moss, Michael Crabtree, Amari Cooper, and Larry Fitzgerald.
The 2018 Biletnikoff Award winner will be presented the Biletnikoff Award trophy by college and pro football hall of famer Fred Biletnikoff and keynoter & 1993 Lombardi Award and Jim Parker Award winner Aaron Taylor before 550 patrons at the Biletnikoff Award Banquet at the University Center Club at Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee on Saturday, February 16, 2019.

The name Biletnikoff is synonymous with the term receiver. Fred Biletnikoff, a member of the pro and college football halls of fame, was a consensus All-America receiver at Florida State University, 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.

Smith, who played in all 14 games for the Zips last fall, was Akron's top scorer in 2017 with 34 receptions for a team-high 726 yards and team-best seven touchdowns for 42 points. He ranked No. 9 nationally in yards per receptions (21.35). Smith had three 100-yard receiving performances during the season, including 114 yards against Toledo in the MAC Championship game.

Under the guidance of seventh-year head coach Terry Bowden, Akron returns 58 letterwinners, including 15 starters, to its spread offense and 4-3 defense. Akron opens the 2018 season at Nebraska on Saturday, Sept. 1. The game will kick off on FOX at 8 p.m. ET. The Zips host Morgan State in the home opener on Saturday, Sept. 8, at 3:30 p.m. on ESPN+.

Season ticket plans—which include a ticket to all home games and the "I Love the 90's" concert as well as a parking pass— start at only $60 each. As a season ticket holder, fans have the ability to purchase tickets for road games at Nebraska, Northwestern, and Iowa State.

To request tickets, please contact the Athletics Ticket Office by calling or texting 1-888-99-AKRON during business hours (Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.) or purchase the deposit online at www.GoZips.com.

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Kwadarrius Smith

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