Mississippi State football's Kelly Akharaiyi makes watchlist for prestigious award

With the 2024 college football season fast approaching, watchlists are being released for player awards, and one Mississippi State Bulldog made the watchlist for one of the sport's most prestigious awards.

Kelly Akharaiyi named to Biletnikoff Award watchlist

Bulldog wide receiver Kelly Akharaiyi was named to the Biletnikoff Award watchlist. The Biletnikoff Award is given to the most outstanding receiver in college football each year. Mississippi State has never had a Biletnikoff winner, and they have not had a finalist for the award either.

Akharaiyi is the third Bulldog named to a preseason college football award watchlist. He joins fellow WR Kevin Coleman, who was named to the Paul Hornung Award watchlist, and kicker Nick Barr-Mira, who was named to the Wuerffel Trophy watchlist.

Kelly Akharaiyi should be in for a huge year for Mississippi State football

All expectations are for Kelly Akharaiyi to have an outstanding year for the Bulldogs this fall. As the primary target at UTEP in 2023, Akharaiyi hauled in 48 catches for 1033 yards and seven touchdowns. He went for over 100 yards in six games, including a 223 yard, two touchdown performance against FIU. A true vertical threat, his 21.5 yards per reception ranked fourth nationally.

He should shine in a Jeff Lebby offense that loves to take deep shots down the field. Lebby's offense has produced a 1000-yard receiver four of the last six years, and in most seasons, his top receiver has been a guy he'll repeatedly dial up shot plays to.

Akharaiyi is an ideal fit for this system, and he should put up some big numbers. Will he have big enough numbers to win the Biletnikoff Award? It's a possibility. This offensive system has produced a pair of winners with Tennessee's Jalin Hyatt in 2022 and Baylor's Corey Coleman in 2015, and Lebby was the play-caller for a Biletnikoff finalist Elijah Moore at Ole Miss in 2020.

Those players had some astronomical stats that will certainly be hard to match, but if Lebby's offense clicks in year one and Akharaiyi is the go-to target, he could have himself in the converstation.