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Should Malik Nabers have won the Biletnikoff? It’s the question on the minds of many football fans. However, Marvin Harrison Jr. of Ohio State has been awarded the 2023 Biletnikoff Trophy for the nation’s best wide receiver in college football. This accolade ensures he will be the first receiver taken in the 2024 Draft and will more than likely have the best career of all the draft-eligible receivers. In a year with a hotly contested Heisman race, many wonder if Harrison is the right wide receiver for this award.
The Numbers: How Malik Nabers Stacks Up
Harrison is obviously a great receiver. No one is disputing that, and this piece is not meant to be a personal attack against him. I’m sure he’s a wonderful young man, but looking strictly at his college production, it seems he did not deserve to win the Biletnikoff. Based on the stats, the award should have gone to Malik Nabers of Louisiana State University (LSU).
Let’s take a look at the numbers:
Harrison: 67 receptions; 1,211 receiving yards; 14 touchdown catches; 18.1 yards per reception
Nabers: 86 receptions; 1,546 receiving yards; 14 touchdown catches; 18.0 yards per reception
As you can see, Nabers has more receptions, more receiving yards, the same amount of touchdown catches, and just barely fewer yards per reception. Also, for what it’s worth, Harrison does have one rushing touchdown, which gives him more total touchdowns than Nabers. However, this is about their stats as receivers. After all, the Biletnikoff is not the award for the best running back.
Crunching The Numbers
So, does Nabers deserve the award over Harrison because his receiving numbers are better? Well, it’s not just that. Let’s crunch the numbers even more. Harrison has been held to 32 receiving yards or less four times. Malik Nabers has been held to those numbers exactly zero times. In fact, the fewest receiving yards Nabers has had this season was 67–an occurrence that took place during LSU’s first game of the season against Florida State University. Since then, he’s had at least 87 receiving yards in every game.
“But Harrison had Kyle McCord throwing to him and Nabers had Jayden Daniels throwing to him!”
I’m glad you mentioned that. Does Nabers really have an advantage because of his quarterback? Let’s break this down.
Daniels is one of the best college quarterbacks we’ve seen in recent memory. There’s no question that McCord simply isn’t on Daniels’ level. But does that really mean that Nabers’ numbers are inflated?
Here’s the truth: Harrison plays in a system that benefits him more. Nabers is playing with arguably another #1 wide receiver in Brian Thomas Jr. (60 receptions; 1,079 receiving yards; 15 touchdown catches). The next closest receiver on Ohio State’s team, Cade Stover (a tight end), has 41 receptions, 576 receiving yards, and five touchdown catches. Harrison is the clear go-to guy on his offense and should have better numbers, but he doesn’t.
Enough With The Excuses
“Yeah but he still has Kyle McCord.”
McCord at quarterback has nothing to do with Harrison only mustering up 25 receiving yards on 6.3 yards per reception against 6-6 Rutgers.
“But he had two touchdown catches that game!”
That’s nice. Do you want to know the fewest receiving yards Malik Nabers has had this season in games where he had two touchdown catches? 121. Also, do you want to know how many games Nabers has had this season where he had less than 10 yards per reception? Zero.
And frankly, I’m sick and tired of the excuses here. If you’re as good as people say you are, then elevate your quarterback. We’ve seen it before. We saw Mike Evans do it with Johnny Manziel at Texas A&M and Amari Cooper do it with Blake Sims at Alabama. And yes, Manziel did win the Heisman. But there’s a reason why he’s been out of the NFL for almost ten years while Evans continues to stack up 1,000-yard receiving seasons in the league. When you come into the season as the undisputed best receiver in college football, you’re going to be held to a higher standard.
The Truth About Malik Nabers Biletnikoff Snub
But let’s be honest here. We all know the biggest reason Harrison won the Biletnikoff over Nabers. It would have been a terrible look if the award went to someone who isn’t even a Heisman finalist. If that happened, the voters would have had a lot of explaining to do.
As I said, Harrison is a great receiver. He will be the first receiver taken in the 2024 Draft and should be the first. But when it comes to college production, the numbers – especially when you crunch them – do not lie. Malik Nabers was the more deserving winner of the Biletnikoff.