TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — UTSA senior wide receiver De'Corian Clark has been named to the Biletnikoff Award Preseason Watch List, the Tallahassee Quarterback Club (TQC) Foundation announced Monday.
Clark is one of 47 players, and the only one from the American Athletic Conference (AAC), chosen for the preseason list for the award that 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. As such, the Biletnikoff Award recognizes college football's outstanding receiver, not merely college football's outstanding wide receiver.
A second-team all-conference performer in 2022, Clark hauled in 51 passes for 741 yards and eight touchdowns despite missing the last five games due to an injury. The Fort Worth O.D. Wyatt High School product averaged 82.3 receiving yards per game and 14.5 yards per catch last fall.
Clark, who also is on the Wuerffel Trophy Watch List and an Allstate AFCA Good Works Team nominee, set the program record for single-game receiving yards with 217 and matched his own single-game touchdown standard with three in the 52-24 win over Texas Southern last September. He hauled in eight passes for 139 yards in the 45-30 road triumph over Middle Tennessee, made seven grabs for 90 yards — including the game-winning touchdown — in the 41-38 overtime victory at Army and also had the game-winning TD on a 10-yard catch in the corner of the end zone to cap off a six-reception, 54-yard day in the 31-27 regular season win against North Texas. He will enter the 2023 campaign with 112 receptions for 1,559 yards and 16 touchdowns for his career.
Receivers are frequently added to the Biletnikoff Award Watch List as their season performances dictate. Actual, not potential, performance is the basis for inclusion. The Biletnikoff Award candidate eligibility and voting criteria, transparently explicit and detailed, are available for review at BiletnikoffAward.com/criteria.
The semifinalists, finalists, and award recipient are selected by the highly distinguished Biletnikoff Award National Selection Committee, a group of 650 prominent college football journalists, commentators, announcers, Biletnikoff Award winners, and other former receivers. Foundation trustees do not vote and have never voted. For a list of voters, please see BiletnikoffAward.com/voters.
The committee will select semifinalists that will be announced on Nov. 20. Finalists will be determined by Nov. 28 and the winner will be announced live on ESPN during the The Home Depot College Football Awards Show on Dec. 7. The Biletnikoff Award Banquet & Celebration will honor the Biletnikoff Award winner on March 9, 2024, in Tallahassee.
Under the direction of two-time conference coach of the year Jeff Traylor, the Roadrunners are coming off an 11-3 campaign that saw them capture their second straight Conference USA crown and play in a bowl game for the third year in a row. UTSA has been ranked in the top 25 in each of the last two seasons and boasts a combined 23 wins over that span, the fourth-best total among all FBS teams behind only Georgia (29), Michigan (25) and Alabama (24).
The Roadrunners have been picked to finish second in the AAC Preseason Media Poll and will kick off their 13th season of play on Saturday, Sept. 2, when they travel to Houston to face the Cougars at 6 p.m. at TDECU Stadium.
UTSA will face Texas State for the home opener at 2:30 p.m. the following Saturday at the Alamodome. The Roadrunners will host Army at 6 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 15, UAB on Oct. 14, East Carolina on Oct. 28, Rice on Nov. 11 and South Florida at 8 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 17.
Season and single-game tickets are on sale now by calling 210-458-UTSA (8872) or visiting goUTSA.com/tickets.
2023 Biletnikoff Award Preseason Watch List
Alex Adams, Akron
Elijhah Badger, Arizona State
Brock Bowers, Georgia
Jerand Bradley, Texas Tech
Jalon Calhoun, Duke
Dante Cephas, Penn State
De'Corian Clark, UTSA
Keon Coleman, Florida State
Malachi Corley, WKU
Jacob Cowing, Arizona
Corey Crooms Jr., Minnesota
Emeka Egbuka, Ohio State
Zakhari Franklin, Ole Miss
Troy Franklin, Oregon
Oronde Gadsden II, Syracuse
Corey Gammage, UCF
Tre Harris, Ole Miss
Marvin Harrison Jr., Ohio State
Khaleb Hood, Georgia Southern
Tory Horton, Colorado State
Tyrone Howell, ULM
Jeremiah Hunter, California
Ali Jennings III, Virginia Tech
Tez Johnson, Oregon
Caullin Lacy, South Alabama
Jaylin Lane, Virginia Tech
Dominic Lovett, Georgia
Ladd McConkey, Georgia
Jalen McMillan, Washington
Malik Nabers, LSU
Jerjuan Newton, Toledo
Rome Odunze, Washington
Ryan O'Keefe, Boston College
Sam Pinckney, Coastal Carolina
Brennan Presley, Oklahoma State
Bradley Rozner, NC State
Will Sheppard, Vanderbilt
Dorian Singer, USC
Tyrin Smith, UTEP
Elijah Spencer, Minnesota
J.Michael Sturdivant, UCLA
Jamari Thrash, Louisville
Devin Voisin, South Alabama
Devontez Walker, North Carolina
Tahj Washington, USC
Antwane Wells Jr., South Carolina
Sam Wiglusz, Ohio
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