Published Dec 8, 2023
Is Malik Nabers going to get snubbed for the Biletnikoff?
Luke Hubbard  •  Death Valley Insider
Analyst
Twitter
@clukehubbard

On Friday, December 8th, the NCAA is going to announce the Biletnikoff Award winner, and we may witness an even bigger snub than FSU missing the College Football Playoff. Okay, not actually because that was really bad, but you get my point.

Malik Nabers has easily been the best receiver in the nation, and the only person that has come close is Washington's Rome Odunze, but as it stands right now, it seems that neither are going to take home the Biletnikoff trophy.

A few days ago, the Heisman finalists were announced, and there was one name in there that shouldn't be there, and that's Marvin Harrison Jr.

I get that he's the best thing since sliced bread or whatever, but there is just absolutely no way that he was one of the four best players in the country this season. In fact, he might not have been even the fourth best receiver this season.

Here's a chart comparing Marvin Harrison's stats to who I think were the three best wideouts this season:

Wide Receiver Stats
PlayerMarvin HarrisonMalik NabersRome OdunzeTroy Franklin

Receiving Yards

1,211

1,546

1,428

1,383

Touchdowns

14

14

13

14

Receptions

67

86

81

81

Average

18.1

18.0

17.6

17.1

That list doesn't even include Malik Washington who posted a stat line of 110 catches, 1,426 yards (13.0 average) and nine touchdowns.

There's a case for Harrison being the fourth best receiver in the nation this year, but there is no world where he's been the fourth best overall player in the nation.

So why am I talking about the Heisman when this article is about Malik Nabers potentially getting snubbed for the Biletnikoff? Well, if Harrison is a Heisman finalist, is there really any chance he isn't going to win the Biletnikoff?

I get that Harrison might be the best receiver prospect in this class, but the Biletnikoff isn't an award for who might be the best NFL receiver, it's given to the most outstanding receiver from THIS season, and the clear and obvious choice is Malik Nabers.

Not only did Nabers beat or tie Harrison in pretty much every statistical category, he did it next to another 1,000 yard receiver who also happens to lead the nation in receiving touchdowns. Harrison had to compete with a tight end who finished the season with 41 catches and 576 yards, which is about 100 more than LSU's third leading receiver.

"But Marvin Harrison had to do it with a worse quarterback!" Says the same people who don't think Jayden Daniels deserves the Heisman.

If Marvin Harrison is so good, shouldn't he be able to put up numbers with an average quarterback? It's not like Kyle McCord was some awful player, he completed 66% of his passes for 3,170 yards, 24 touchdowns and six interceptions this season and led Ohio State to 32.6 points per game. He's no Jayden Daniels, but you'd think he was the worst QB in the nation the way Ohio State fans talk about him when defending Marvin Harrison.

If somehow you still aren't convinced, here are some rapid fire stats for you that prove why Malik Nabers was the better wide receiver this season:

Malik Nabers had three games with less than 100 yards receiving. Marvin Harrison had four games with less than 35 yards receiving.

Malik Nabers forced 30 missed tackles. Marvin Harrison forced five missed tackles.

Quarterbacks had a 142.7 NFL passer rating when targeting Malik Nabers. Quarterbacks had a 120.3 NFL passer rating when targeting Marvin Harrison

Malik Nabers had a 6.5% drop rate. Marvin Harrison had an 8.2% drop rate.

I'm not saying Marvin Harrison Jr. is a bad player whatsoever. He's a great receiver and will likely have a very, very good NFL career, just like his dad. What I am saying is Malik Nabers was by far the best receiver in college football this year, and Marvin Harrison wasn't even top three this season.

If Marvin Harrison wins the Biletnikoff, it's because of the name on the back of his jersey, not because of his play on the field. He hasn't been the most outstanding wide receiver in the country this year, that guy resides in Baton Rouge.