Indiana Wide Receiver Ty Fryfogle Named to Biletnikoff Award Watch List

Image: Indiana University Athletics

Written by Sammy Jacobs (@Hoosier_Huddle)

Indiana wide receiver Ty Fryfogle was named to the Biletnikoff Award Watch List on Tuesday morning as the reigning Big Ten Wide Receiver of the Year garners another Watch List honor.

The Tallahassee Quarterback Club (TQC) Foundation, Inc., is the Florida-based creator and sponsor of the Biletnikoff Award. The Biletnikoff Award, in its 28th year, recognizes the college football season's outstanding FBS receiver at any position. It is a season, not a career award. Any player who catches a pass, regardless of position, is eligible for the award. Consequently, tight ends, slot receivers and backs, inside receivers, wide receivers, split ends, and running backs are eligible for the award.

Fryfogle returned to Indiana after posting

For Immediate Release

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.

Fryfogle became the first IU wideout since James Hardy (2007) to collect All-America status when he was honored as a 2020 third-teamer by the Associated Press.

The first Hoosier in program history to be named the Big Ten's Richter-Howard Receiver of the Year, he also collected first-team all-conference honors. Fryfogle became the first receiver in B1G history to record back-to-back 200-yard games, the first Indiana wideout to reach 200 yards twice, and the first Hoosier since Nate Sudfeld (2015) to claim back-to-back Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week honors.

A native of Lucedale, Miss., Fryfogle led the team with 721 yards (4th in the Big Ten), 90.1 yards per game (5th, 29th nationally), seven touchdowns (T-3rd, T-30th), and 19.5 yards per reception (3rd, 23rd). He finished second with 37 catches (T-9th) and 4.6 grabs per game.

Fryfogle is the 21st Hoosier to reach 100 receptions (112) and 1,500 yards (1,719). He is 16th on the program's career yardage list and 25th in career catches.

The semifinalists, finalists, and award recipient are 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. Foundation trustees do not vote and have never voted. For a list of voters, please see BiletnikoffAward.com/voters.

Receivers are frequently 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 Biletnikoff Award candidate eligibility and voting criteria, transparently explicit and detailed, are available for review at BiletnikoffAward.com/criteria.

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, the late Terry Glenn, and Larry Fitzgerald. 

 The 2021 Biletnikoff Award winner will be presented the Biletnikoff Award trophy by TQC Foundation Chairman Roger Champion, keynoter and college hall of famer and two-time Heisman Trophy winner Archie Griffin, and college and pro football hall of famer Fred Biletnikoff at the Biletnikoff Award Banquet & Celebration at the University Center Club at Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee on Saturday, March 5, 2022. The banquet was hailed by 2014 keynote speaker Dick Vermeil, as well as by 2013 keynoter Larry Csonka, as "the best banquet in college sports."

The banquet has featured distinguished keynoters of profound character and accomplishments including the late Bart Starr, Dick Vermeil, the late Floyd Little, Larry Csonka, Steve Largent, Mike Ditka, the late Don Shula, Dan Reeves, Archie Manning, Ron Jaworski, Gene Stallings, Bob Griese, Bill Curry, Bobby Bowden, Jim Kelly, Jerry Kramer, Joe Theismann, Dan Fouts, Chad Hennings, and Aaron Taylor.

The TQC Foundation's charitable mission is the provision of college and vocational scholarships to North Florida high school seniors who have overcome significant barriers to achieve at the highest academic and extracurricular levels. Participation in sports is not a requirement. The Foundation has provided many millions of dollars for several hundreds of scholarships and related benefits through 2020.

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.

Indiana Football 2021 Preseason Watch Lists
Dodd Trophy – Tom Allen
Maxwell Award – Ty Fryfogle, Michael Penix Jr.
Bednarik Award – Micah McFadden, Tiawan Mullen
Davey O'Brien Award – Michael Penix Jr.
Doak Walker Award – Stephen Carr
B1G Preseason Honors – Michael Penix Jr.
Biletnikoff Award – Ty Fryfogle