MOBILE, Ala. — South Alabama seniors Wes Saxton and Shavarez Smith were named Tuesday to the preseason watch list for the 2014 Biletnikoff Award, which recognizes the most outstanding receiver in college football.
The award is presented by the Tallahassee Quarterback Club Foundation. Any player who catches a pass is eligible, including wide receivers, tight ends, slot backs and running backs.
Record-Setting Duo
Smith and Saxton each caught 50 passes last season, setting a South Alabama single-season record, as the Jaguars averaged more than 250 passing yards per game.
Smith finished with 940 receiving yards and six touchdowns while averaging 18.8 yards per catch. Saxton set a career high with 635 receiving yards.
The two tied for fifth in the Sun Belt Conference in receptions per game. Smith ranked fourth in the league in receiving yards per game, and Saxton ranked eighth.
Shavarez Smith
Smith, a 6-foot-1, 210-pound receiver from McDonough, Georgia, was a second-team All-Sun Belt selection in his first season with the Jaguars. He had 18 plays that gained 20 yards or more.
He was named Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Week after South Alabama’s win over Georgia State, when he set a school record with 194 receiving yards and tied another record with 10 receptions, including a 37-yard catch on the Jaguars’ first possession of the second half.
Smith led the team’s receivers against Tennessee with 83 yards on four catches and scored both of South Alabama’s touchdowns against Navy, finishing that game with a team-high 65 yards on five receptions.
Wes Saxton
Saxton, a 6-foot-4, 235-pound tight end from Hueytown, Alabama, was a first-team All-Sun Belt selection after ranking among the top five tight ends nationally in receptions and receiving yards per game.
He had a career-high 10 catches for 89 yards at Texas State and a career-best 95 receiving yards on six catches at Troy. In South Alabama’s 41-39 win over Tulane in New Orleans, he caught seven passes for 92 yards. The following week, he made four catches for 91 yards, including a career-long 37-yard reception, as the Jaguars beat Western Kentucky in their Sun Belt opener.
Saxton closed the season with five catches for 88 yards against Sun Belt co-champion Louisiana-Lafayette.
Award Timeline
The 2014 Biletnikoff Award winner will be announced Dec. 11 during The Home Depot College Football Awards show on ESPN. Fred Biletnikoff, a member of both the College Football Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame, will announce the winner.
Four Sun Belt players were named to the preseason watch list. In addition to Saxton and Smith, the list includes Louisiana-Monroe’s Rashon Ceaser and Louisiana-Lafayette’s Jamal Robinson.
