Hoosiers Now

Indiana Wide Receiver Whop Philyor on Biletnikoff Watch List

Indiana's returning Most Valuable Player, senior receiver Whop Philyor, is on the watch list for the Biletnikoff Award, given annually to the nation's top receiver.

Tom Brew

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Whop Philyor chose to come back to Indiana for his senior season because he wanted to leave a legacy as one of the best wide receivers to ever play the position with the Hoosiers.

He's expecting a huge senior year, and last year's team MVP should find himself on the national stage often. That's why he  has been named to the 2020 Biletnikoff Award Pre-season Watch List that was announced on Thursday morning. 

The Biletnikoff Award annually recognizes college football's best receiver, and anyone who catches the ball — receivers, slot guys, tights or running backs — are eligible. 

Philyor, a 5-foot-11, 177-pound receiver from Tampa, Fla., enters the 2020 season with 126 receptions, 1,572 yards, nine touchdowns, six 100-yard games and five double-digit catch games. He became the 13th Hoosier to reach 125 receptions and 1,500 yards.

He is also the program's leader in double-figure catch games, shares seventh in 100-yard games, is 15th in receptions and 20th in yardage.

Philyor was on the watch list last year, too,  He was a second-team All-Big Ten selection after he caught 70 passes for 1,002 yards and five TDs. He became the seventh Hoosier to reach 1,000 yards, recorded three double-digit catch games, a program single-season record, was one of 10 FBS players with a trio of contests with 10-or-more, and he posted four 100-yard games. 

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. 

All of the watch lists are being announced this week. Here is the entire 2020 preseason watch list calendar:

  • Monday July 13: Chuck Bednarik Award
  • Tuesday July 14: Davey O'Brien Award
  • Wednesday July 15: Doak Walker Award
  • Thursday July 16: Biletnikoff Award
  • Friday July 17: Mackey Award
  • Monday July 20: Jim Thorpe Award
  • Tuesday July 21: Outland Trophy & Nagurski Award
  • Wednesday July 22: Groza Award & Ray Guy Award
  • Thursday July 23: Hornung Award & Wuerffel Trophy
  • Friday July 24: Maxwell Award

Related stories on Indiana football

  • MULLEN ON WATCH LIST: Sophomore cornerback Tiawan Mullen is on the preseason watch list for the Chuck Bednarik Awards, which goes to the best defensive player in college football each season. CLICK HERE
  • SCOTT ON WATCH LIST: Junior running back Stevie Scott has been named to the Doak Walker Award watch list. That award goes to the nation's top running back every year. CLICK HERE
  • START SEASON ON TIME?: Indiana football coach Tom Allen is still believing that the 2020 college football season is going to start on time. CLICK HERE
  • TOM BREW COLUMN: If it's important to get the biggest games in during this shortened season, how about playing the Indiana-Purdue game first? CLICK HERE
Published
Tom Brew
TOM BREW

Tom Brew is an award-winning journalist who has worked at some of America's finest newspapers as a reporter and editor, including the Tampa Bay (Fla.) Times, the Indianapolis Star and the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. He has covered college sports in the digital platform for the past six years, including the last five years as publisher of HoosiersNow on the FanNation/Sports Illustrated network.

Home/Football