USC large receiver Makai Lemon has received the the celebrated Biletnikoff Award, which works out yearly to the nation’s prime wideout, it was introduced Friday on the Faculty Soccer Awards present. Lemon beat out Ohio State large receiver Jeremiah Smith and UConn wideout Skyler Bell to assert the respect. Lemon is the second Biletnikoff Award winner in USC soccer historical past becoming a member of Marqise Lee, the 2012 Biletnikoff Award honoree.
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Lemon had an incredible third-year junior season with the Trojans. He caught 79 passes for 1,156 yards and 11 touchdowns in 12 video games. Lemon additionally rushed for 2 touchdowns, and he threw a landing move. Lemon’s 90.4 total offensive grade from Professional Soccer Focus led all FBS large receivers this season, and his 1,156 receiving yards have been probably the most amongst Energy 4 wideouts. Lemon’s 20 compelled missed tackles tied for sixth amongst all large receivers nationally, and he caught 10 of his 15 contested targets.
“The toughness and fearless nature that he performs and competes with each time he touches the sector is a giant deal for our workforce and is actually inspiring,” USC head coach Lincoln Riley mentioned in November.
Lemon’s magnum opus efficiency got here within the Trojans’ 26-21 come-from-behind win over Iowa in November, when he caught all 10 of his targets for 153 yards and a landing regardless of the sport being performed in a continuing downpour and him enjoying with a major harm. That led veteran Hawkeye head coach Kirk Ferentz to explain Lemon as among the finest offensive gamers Ferentz had ever seen.
“No. 6 is nearly as good as I’ve seen. Going again 20-plus years, I do not know if anyone’s impacted the sport extra,” Ferentz mentioned. “I can consider one man, perhaps. However he is a very excellent participant.”
Lemon went for greater than 100 yards receiving in 5 completely different video games in opposition to Georgia Southern, Michigan State, Illinois, Northwestern and Iowa in 2025. He caught a number of landing passes in opposition to Georgia Southern, Illinois and Oregon. Like his standout Iowa sport, Lemon’s Illinois efficiency additionally boosted his Biletnikoff Award hopes. He caught 11 passes for 151 yards and two touchdowns in a 34-32 street defeat to the Illini. Lemon’s second rating put the Trojans forward 32-31 with 1:55 to play.
Lemon is a digital lock to enter the NFL Draft following his historic 2025 marketing campaign. He is unlikely to play in USC’s Alamo Bowl matchup with TCU on Dec. 30 in San Antonio as he prepares for the following stage.
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