USC wide receiver Makai Lemon wins Biletnikoff Award
USC wide receiver Makai Lemon has won the prestigious Biletnikoff Award, which goes out annually to the nation’s top wideout, it was announced Friday at the College Football Awards show.
Congratulations to Makai Lemon @getabagkai, winner of the prestigious Biletnikoff Award! The Biletnikoff Award annually recognizes the college football season’s outstanding FBS receiver at any position. @uscfb @USC_Athletics #OutstandingReceiver #NCFAA pic.twitter.com/ygMlP7chFh
— Biletnikoff Award (@biletnikoffawrd) December 13, 2025
Lemon beat out Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith and UConn wideout Skyler Bell to claim the honor. Lemon is the second Biletnikoff Award winner in USC football history joining Marqise Lee, the 2012 Biletnikoff Award honoree.
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Lemon had a tremendous third-year junior season with the Trojans. He caught 79 passes for 1,156 yards and 11 touchdowns in 12 games. Lemon also rushed for two touchdowns, and he threw a touchdown pass. Lemon’s 90.4 overall offensive grade from Pro Football Focus led all FBS wide receivers this season, and his 1,156 receiving yards were the most among Power Four wideouts. Lemon’s 20 forced missed tackles tied for sixth among all wide receivers nationally, and he caught 10 of his 15 contested targets.
“The toughness and fearless nature that he plays and competes with every time he touches the field is a big deal for our team and is certainly inspiring,” USC head coach Lincoln Riley said in November.
Lemon’s magnum opus performance came in 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 touchdown despite the game being played in a constant downpour and him playing with a significant injury. That led veteran Hawkeye head coach Kirk Ferentz to describe Lemon as one of the best offensive players Ferentz had ever seen.
“No. 6 is as good as I’ve seen. Going back 20-plus years, I don’t know if anybody’s impacted the game more,” Ferentz said. “I can think of one guy, maybe. But he’s a really outstanding player.”
Lemon went for more than 100 yards receiving in five different games against Georgia Southern, Michigan State, Illinois, Northwestern and Iowa in 2025. He caught multiple touchdown passes against Georgia Southern, Illinois and Oregon. Like his standout Iowa game, Lemon’s Illinois performance also boosted his Biletnikoff Award hopes. He caught 11 passes for 151 yards and two touchdowns in a 34-32 road defeat to the Illini. Lemon’s second score put the Trojans ahead 32-31 with 1:55 to play.
Lemon is a virtual lock to enter the NFL Draft following his historic 2025 campaign. He’s unlikely to play in USC’s Alamo Bowl matchup with TCU on Dec. 30 in San Antonio as he prepares for the next level.