UConn wide receiver Skyler Bell was named one of three finalists for the 2025 Biletnikoff Award, as announced on Tuesday by the Tallahassee Quarterback Club.
The first UConn player to ever become a finalist for one of college football’s top awards, Bell is firmly in the running for the nation’s top receiver alongside USC’s Makai Lemon and Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith. The winner will be announced at The Home Depot College Football Awards Show on ESPN on December 12.
In his second season with the Huskies after transferring in from Wisconsin, Bell etched his name in the UConn record books several times over. He finished the regular season with 101 receptions for 1,278 yards and 13 touchdowns, setting new school records for catches and touchdowns in a season. He is 76 yards away from the school mark for yards in a season after having seven games with 100-yards or more, tying the FBS school record (Noel Thomas, 2016).
Bell currently leads the nation in all three triple-crown categories – receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns – and is second in receiving yards per game (106.5) and receptions per game (8.42).
There is still a regular season game to play for the other two finalists. Lemon has 78 catches for 1,124 yards and 10 touchdowns so far this year, and Smith, only a sophomore, has 69 catches for 902 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Report: UConn’s Jim Mora ‘receiving interest’ from power-conference programs
“If you look at the numbers, I feel like there’s not a lot of receivers that can match up with those numbers across the country – receptions, yards, touchdowns, whatever else you want to look at. I think I stack up with the best and I like my stats vs. anybody,” Bell said before his eight catches and 125 yards in the regular season finale.
In his two years at UConn, Bell has played in 25 games with 151 catches, 2,138 yards and 18 touchdowns. He ranks ninth all-time at UConn in career receptions and yards, and his 85.5 yards per game over his career is currently tops on the list. Between his time at UConn and Wisconsin, Bell has seen action in 51 games with 220 catches, 2,893 yards and 24 touchdowns.
“I think it’s pretty easy to make the case that he’s the most productive receiver in college football to this point this year,” coach Jim Mora said.