Agholor on shortlist for Biletnikoff Award
Junior wideout Nelson Agholor was announced Monday as one of the 10 semifinalists for the Biletnikoff Award, given each season to the nation’s top wide receiver.
Whoa, Nelly · Junior wide receiver Nelson Agholor has impressed in his last two games, including a career-best 16 receptions against Cal last week. – Mariya Dondonyan | Daily Trojan
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the honor was announced at a time in the season when Agholor is coming on strong. In the last four games, the Tampa, Florida, native has averaged 168.5 yards per game and totalled six receiving touchdowns.
In his last two games, at Washington State and against Cal, Agholor has picked up 220 and 216 receiving yards, respectively. In this two-week span, he has become the only USC player in history to go for over 200 yards in consecutive games and tied a school record for 200-yard receiving games in a season.
Agholor has already surpassed his yards total from 2013 with 1079 through only 10 games. He has also averaged 13.2 yards per reception.
Agholor is near the top nationally in a multitude of statistical categories. He is eighth in total reception yards, ninth in total receiving touchdowns with 10, 10th in receiving yards per game at 107.9 and third in receptions per game at 8.2.
Agholor has also made waves as a punt returner this year: He is second in punt return touchdowns with two and 10th in punt returns yards per game at 13.1.
Agholor is ranked 12th on USC’s career reception list and seventh in career punt return yards. He is the only Trojan to be ranked that high on both lists.
The other semifinalists for the Biletnikoff include Amari Cooper of Alabama, Rashad Greene of Florida State, Rashard Higgins of Colorado State, Tyler Lockett of Kansas State, Vince Mayle of Washington State, Sterling Shepard of Oklahoma, Nelson Spruce of Colorado, Jaelen Strong of Arizona State and Kevin White of West Virginia.
Agholor has a chance to become the second Trojan to win the Biletnikoff and the third Pac-12 player in a row to win the award after Oregon State’s Brandin Cooks took it home in 2013.
Three finalists will be named on Nov. 24, and the winner will be announced during the College Football Home Depot Awards Show on Dec. 11. Therefore, the Trojans’ showdown with UCLA this weekend is Agholor’s last audition for the Biletnikoff.
The award nomination was not the only good news for Agholor. He was also named the Pac-12’s Offensive Player of the Week for his performance against Cal. It is the first Pac-12 weekly award of Agholor’s career, and the seventh for a Trojan this season. Redshirt junior quarterback Cody Kessler, junior defensive end Leonard Williams, senior kicker Andre Heidari, redshirt junior tailback Javorius “Buck” Allen and freshman cornerback-wide receiver Adoree’ Jackson have all been honored this season.