2024-25 Fred Biletnikoff Award Odds and Predictions

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In case you haven’t noticed, college football has changed dramatically over the past decade and even over the past five years. Receivers that totaled 1,000 yards in receptions was quite an accomplishment. Now, it’s more common for teams to have two 1,000-yard receivers. Oregon did it last year and Tez Johnson is back this year among the contenders for the 2024-25 Fred Biletnikoff Award.

Last year, the top five wide receivers in terms of yards all had at least 88 receptions and 1,400 yards. Two of them return in 2024 and one, Tetairoa McMillan, is among the leading candidates to win the 2024-25 Fred Biletnikoff Award. McMillan plays at Arizona which joins the Big 12 this season and returns QB Noah Fifita who passed for 2,869 yards and 25 touchdowns last season.

Each year, the best receiver in the nation is awarded the Fred Biletnikoff Award, named in honor of the former Florida State and Oakland Raiders great. Biletnikoff is one of a select group who is enshrined in both the College and Pro Football Halls of Fame. He was the nation’s leading receiver in 1967 and was the MVP of Super Bowl XI, which his Raiders won 32-14 over Minnesota.  

The 2024-25 Fred Biletnikoff award winner will post impressive stats just like the last several winners. Both Johnson and McMillan figure to be in the mix. Ohio State and Alabama have produced some of the top receivers in the country over the past decade. Does either program have another worthy candidate? What about the favorite?

Scores & Stats will sort it all out for you. We are your go-to resource for all things college football, including 2024-25 college football national championship odds and predictions. You can track all of the college football award races 

2024-25 Fred Biletnikoff Award Odds

Fred Biletnikoff Award Favorites 

With last year’s Biletnikoff winner Marvin Harrison Jr. and several other top college receivers now in the NFL, the Biletnikoff Award torch will be passed down to one of a handful of worthy candidates. Leading the pack of qualified receivers is Missouri’s Luther Burden III. He burst onto the scene in 2023, helping the Tigers go 12-2 and finish No. 11 in the country. He’ll have plenty of competition for the award.

Burden is the complete package. He’s got great size, though he’s only 5-11. He weighs in at nearly 210 pounds and has the chiseled body you find on first round NFL draft picks. Burden can get off press coverage with ease and runs crisp routes with outstanding speed and fluidity. 

The Missouri star had 86 receptions for 1,212 yards and nine touchdowns last season. More than 700 of Burden’s receiving yards came after the catch. Burden can also return punts and kickoffs though he won’t likely be used as much in the return game this season. Most experts see Burden as the first receiver selected in next year’s NFL draft. 

Burden will benefit from playing in the SEC and will also have the luxury of a returning starting quarterback. Brady Cook returns for the Tigers after completing 66 percent of his passes for 3,317 yards and 21 touchdowns. The Missouri offense was a top-30 unit in scoring (32.5 ppg) and total offense (434.3 ypg). With eight starters returning, that unit will only be better in 2024. Burden figures to be one of the keys and Cook’s go-to receiver once again.

Egbuka’s 2023 stats won’t jump out at you – 41 catches, 515 yards, 4 touchdowns – but that’s because he was slowed by injuries all season. In 2022, Egbuka showed what he is capable of and that was with 1,151 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns. He was named second-team All-Big Ten in ‘22 and was a third-team selection last year. 

It has been said that Egbuka could be the receiver that makes Ohio State fans forget about Harrison. Egbuka is 6-1, weighs in around 205 pounds, has great speed, and all the intangibles of an elite receiver. It is said Egbuka has run the 40-yard dash in 4.30 seconds. Scouts love his ability to find open areas in defenses. He has the ability to take quick game receptions and turn them into big plays. In 2022, he had 19 catches of 20-plus yards.

Egbuka will definitely be in the limelight this season. Ohio State is one of the favorites not only to win the Big Ten Conference, but also to win the College Football Playoff national championship. Kansas State transfer Will Howard takes over at quarterback. TreVeyon Henderson and Ole Miss transfer Quinshon Judkins will lead a powerful ground attack that will only make the passing game more explosive. That will benefit Egbuka and if he can stay healthy, he should put together the kind of stats worthy of a Biletnikoff winner.

The best player in the country that most college football fans know nothing about is McMillan. At 6-5 and 210 pounds, McMillan has the complete package. He’s got great size to go up against any corner in the country. With 4.5 speed in the 40-yard dash, he can outrun most defenders. McMillan possesses tremendous athletic ability which was evident in his 90-catch season last year.

McMillan caught 90 passes for 1,402 yards in 2023. He scored 10 touchdowns and could easily best those numbers this season. His high school quarterback, Noah Fifita, is now his college quarterback. Fifita took over for the injured Jayden de Laura last season and guided Arizona to a 7-2 finish. The connection between Fifita and McMillan goes back many years and will surely play a role in McMillan’s quest for the 2024-25 Fred Biletnikoff award.

Arizona returns six starters on an offense that finished eighth in the country in passing (308.3 ypg) last season. The big difference this year is that the Wildcats will have a new head coach in Brent Brennan, who had success at San Jose State. McMillan and Fifita shouldn’t miss a beat as they and the rest of the Wildcats move to the Big 12 Conference.

Top 2024-25 Fred Biletnikoff Award Value Bet

The best value in the 2024-25 Fred Biletnikoff award race is T-Mac, Tetairoa McMillan. He may go under the radar for a few weeks, but once Arizona gets to the Big 12 schedule, look out. Burden will have all eyes on him all season long as he plays in the SEC. There’s a reason he’s a +400 favorite.

McMillan, who is listed at +700, is going to put up some huge numbers in 2024. T-Mac and Arizona will face five of the worst pass defenses in the country from a year ago. Arizona State, Colorado, Houston, TCU, and West Virginia all finished among the bottom 50 teams in terms of pass defense in 2023. McMillan will tear those teams up as well as the rest of the Big 12. 

The Wildcats also lose No. 2 receiver Jacob Cowing who also caught 90 passes last season. That means McMillan will likely pick up some of his slack. The running game should be improved too. Four offensive lineman return and the ability to run the football will only help McMillan, Fifita, and the passing game. 

Best Fred Biletnikoff Longshot Bet

There are a number of longshot bets in this group that make sense, but two stand out. The first is Oregon WR Tez Johnson (+1200). Like Xavier Worthy in last year’s NFL draft class, Johnson has the type of speed that turns heads. He’s not very big, but he will blow by anyone with his 4.3 speed. 

Last year, Johnson caught 86 passes for 1,182 yards and 10 touchdowns. He was not the Ducks only 1,000-yard receiver either. Troy Franklin, now of the Denver Broncos, had 81 receptions for 1,383 yards last season in an Oregon offense that finished No. 1 in the nation in passing offense (346.9 ypg). 

Johnson will play in that same offense this season, run by offensive coordinator Will Stein. The Ducks were No.2 in the nation in scoring (44.2 ppg) as well as in total offense (531.4 ypg). While QB Bo Nix is also a member of the Denver Broncos now, the Ducks will have a proven starter in Oklahoma transfer Dillon Gabriel. That means Johnson could put up some video game-like numbers and don’t forget, Oregon is among the favorites to win a national title this season.

The other longshot candidate for the 2024-25 Fred Biletnikoff award is a true sleeper – Tennessee WR Bru McCoy. A five-star recruit out of high school in 2019, McCoy has had an interesting college career. He started at USC then transferred to Texas before transferring back to USC. In 2022, McCoy transferred to Tennessee where he immediately made an impact – 52 catches, 667 yards receiving.

Last year, unfortunately, didn’t go as planned for the 6-3, 220-pound McCoy. He suffered a fractured right ankle in the fifth game of the season and missed the rest of 2023. McCoy is back in 2024 and is completely healthy. The Tennessee offense will have QB Nico Iamaleava running the show. Fans caught a glimpse of what is to come when Iamaleava started the Citrus Bowl and proceeded to carve up a very good Iowa defense.

Just two seasons ago, Tennessee led the nation in total offense (525.5 ypg) and scoring (46.1 ppg). Jalin Hyatt led the Vols in receiving with 67 receptions, 1,267 yards, and 15 touchdowns. Hyatt was also the 2022 Fred Biletnikoff Award winner. McCoy is a huge underdog at +4000, but he could have the type of eye-opening season in a fun-and-gun offense that is award-worthy.

2024-25 Fred Biletnikoff Award Prediction

As much as we like McMillan and his skill set, the 2024-25 Fred Biletnikoff award is going to Luther Burden III of Missouri. From top to bottom, the Big 12 is no comparison to the SEC. Each and every week in the SEC (with the exception of maybe Vanderbilt), Burden will face the best talent in the country. Sure, he’ll pad his stats with some early-season tune ups against FCS Murray State and Buffalo. He’ll also probably be done by halftime in a midseason game at UMass.

Another 80-plus catch, 1,000-yard-plus season against the top teams in the country is no match for whatever McMillan does against the bottom feeders in the Big 12. Remember, five of Arizona’s opponents this season were among the 50 worst pass defenses in the country. 

Both McMillan and Burden will have targets on their backs all season. The difference will be that Burden will have to face the likes of Alabama, Texas A&M, and Oklahoma. McMillan and Arizona get Houston, Colorado, and Arizona State. Putting up impressive stats in the SEC will give Burden, the +400 favorite, some new hardware before he heads off to the NFL.

Bet: Luther Burden III (+400)

Recent Fred Biletnikoff Award Winners