Photo by Robert Scott
LOGAN, Utah – Utah State senior wide receiver Deven Thompkins has been added to the 2021 Biletnikoff Award Watch List, it was announced Wednesday by the Tallahassee Quarterback Club (TQC) Foundation, Inc.
The Biletnikoff Award annually recognizes the college football season’s outstanding FBS receiver. Any player, regardless of position (wide receiver, tight end, slot back and running back) who catches a pass is eligible for the award.
In the first addition to the watch list, seven other players joined Thompkins, including three from the Mountain West in Colorado State’s Trey McBride, Fresno State’s Jalen Cropper and Nick Mardner of Hawai’i.
The 5-foot-8, 155-pound Thompkins leads the Mountain West and ranks third in the nation in receiving (514 yards; 128.5 ypg), is 11th in the nation in receptions (29; 7.2 pg), 24th in the nation in all-purpose yards (132.0 ypg) and 30th in the nation in receiving touchdowns with three.
Thompkins became the first player in school history to have back-to-back games with at least 170 receiving yards as he caught eight passes for 172 yards against North Dakota and nine passes for 188 yards at Air Force. The previous record was held by Hunter Sharp, who had 160-plus receiving yards in back-to-back games in 2014.
Furthermore, Thompkins is the first Aggie to have at least eight receptions in three-straight games since Kevin Curtis had nine-plus receptions in five straight games in 2001. The native of Fort Meyers, Florida, opened the season by hauling in eight passes for 94 yards.
Recently, the Tallahassee Quarterback Club Foundation opened the 2021 FanVote. Every fan may vote once daily on the Biletnikoff Award FanVote page. The aggregate fan tally will be counted as one official vote to determine semifinalists (10 receivers), finalists (three receivers) and the winner. In the closest contest in years, the FanVote tally provided the one-vote margin of victory for 2013 winner Brandin Cooks of Oregon State.
Thompkins and the Aggies are back in action on Friday, Oct. 1, when they welcome in-state rival BYU on Friday, Oct. 1, at 7 p.m., in a game that will be televised nationally on the CBS Sports Network.
For Aggie football ticket information, fans can contact the USU Athletics Ticket Office over the phone by calling 1-888-USTATE-1 or 435-797-0305 during regular hours of operation. Fans can also buy their tickets in person at the USU Ticket Office inside the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum or online by clicking on the “Buy Tickets” tab at www.UtahStateAggies.com.
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