LSU’s Malik Nabers named finalist for Biletnikoff Award

BATON ROUGE – Malik Nabers – LSU’s all-time receptions leaders – has been selected as one of the finalists for the Biletnikoff Award, the Tallahassee Quarterback Club Foundation announced on Tuesday.

Nabers is joined on the list of finalists by Washington’s Rome Odunze and Ohio State’s Marvin Harrison Jr. LSU has had two Biletnikoff Award winners in its history – Josh Reed in 2001 and Ja’Marr Chase in 2019.

The winner of the 2023 Biletnikoff Award will be named on Friday, Dec. 8 on the Home Depot College Football Awards Show televised on ESPN.

The Biletnikoff Award annually recognizes the college football season’s 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.

Nabers has had a record-setting year, leading the nation in receiving yards with 1,546 and ranked No. 2 nationally in receiving TDs with 14. He’s had nine games with at least 100-yards receiving, which includes a career-best 239 yards and two touchdowns on 13 catches in a win over Mississippi State.

Nabers has been the nation’s top receiver when it comes to big plays as he leads the country in plays of 20-plus yards (34) and 30-plus yards (34). He also has seven plays of 40-plus yards.

Nabers capped the regular-season with five consecutive 100-yard games and he became LSU’s all-time leader for receptions against Texas A&M when he moved past Wendell Davis’ previous mark of 183.
Nabers has 186 receptions for 2,980 yards and 21 touchdowns in his three seasons with the Tigers.

This year, Nabers joined Reed as the only players in LSU history with multiple 1,000-yard seasons. Reed had back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons in 2000 and 2001, while Nabers had 1,017 yards last year as a sophomore.

Nabers concluded the regular-season just 20 yards shy of becoming only the second 3,000-yard career receiver in LSU history and he’s only 22 yards short of breaking Reed’s all-time LSU mark of 3,001 receiving yards.

Nabers currently ranks No. 3 on LSU’s single-season list for both receptions (86) and yards (1,546) and he’s No. 4 in touchdowns (14).