Aug. 31, 2007
LAS VEGAS - UNLV sophomore Ryan Wolfe is one of 39 players on the 2007 Biletnikoff Award Watch List, which is awarded annually to the nation's top wide receiver.
Wolfe (Santa Clarita, Calif.) enters his second season with the Rebels and he had a strong start to the 2007 campaign, making six receptions for 65 yards in UNLV's 23-16 win over Utah State. Wolfe was a unanimous preseason first team All-Mountain West Conference selection heading into the season by preview publications such as Sporting News, Athlon, Blue Ribbon, Lindy's and Phil Steele's.
Wolf burst onto the scene as a true freshman last year, becoming the first rookie to lead the MWC in receiving yards with 911 to go along with five touchdowns. He also set the UNLV freshman record for receiving yards in a game (176) and the UNLV and MWC freshman single-season receiving yards mark. Wolfe was named the MWC Freshman of the Year and earned a spot on the Scripps Freshman All-America Team, the first ever selection to the first team by a Rebel.
The last Rebel wide receiver to be considered for the prestigious honor was Earvin Johnson, who was a semifinalist in 2004. EJ, one of the greatest pass catchers in program history, set the UNLV record by catching at least one pass in 41 consecutive games.
Three finalists will be named in November and the winner will be announced Dec. 7 on the ESPN College Football Awards Show from Orlando, Fla.
The Biletnikoff Award is named for College and Pro Football Hall of Fame receiver Fred Biletnikoff and is presented by the Tallahassee (Fla.) Quarterback Club Foundation.
The 2007 Biletnikoff Award Watch List
Brian Anderson, Central Michigan UniversityTravis Beckum, University of WisconsinEarl Bennett, Vanderbilt UniversityDevone Bess, University of HawaiiAdarius Bowman, Oklahoma State UniversityDorien Bryant, Purdue UniversityKeenan Burton, University of KentuckyDeon Butler, Penn State UniversityAndre Caldwell, University of FloridaDuke Calhoun, University of MemphisGreg Carr, Florida State UniversityBritt Davis, Northern Illinois UniversityJarett Dillard, Rice UniversityEarly Doucet, Louisiana State UniversityHarry Douglas, University of LouisvilleD.J. Hall, University of AlabamaJames Hardy, Indiana UniversityDavid Harvey, University of AkronPercy Harvin, University of FloridaDarrius Heyward-Bey, University of MarylandDeSean Jackson, University of CaliforniaJames Johnson, Georgia Institute of TechnologyMalcolm Kelly, University of OklahomaDerek Kinder, University of PittsburghLance Leggett, University of MiamiMario Manningham, University of MichiganKenny McKinley, University of South CarolinaMarcus Monk, University of ArkansasMaurice Purify, University of NebraskaJason Rivers, University of HawaiiBrian Robiskie, Ohio State UniversitySammie Stroughter, Oregon State UniversityLimas Sweed, University of TexasPatrick Turner, University of Southern CaliforniaMario Urrutia, University of LouisvilleChris Williams, New Mexico State UniversityDerrick Williams, Penn State UniversityJaison Williams, University of OregonRyan Wolfe, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
