Makai Lemon Brings the Biletnikoff Award Back To USC
It has been a long, strange trip since 2012. Think about it: back then, the Pac-12 was actually a thing, USC was still trying to figure out life after Pete Carroll, and Marqise Lee was terrorizing secondaries. That was the last time a Trojan wide receiver hoisted the Biletnikoff Award. Makai Lemon, the junior wideout who essentially turned into a human safety blanket for quarterback Jayden Maiava this season, was named the 2025 Biletnikoff Award winner.
The Next Big Thing
In a sport that loves to obsess over the “next big thing”, usually a true freshman who makes one one-handed catch in September, Lemon won this the old-fashioned way: by being undeniably, relentlessly productive. He edged out UConn’s Skyler Bell and, perhaps more satisfyingly for the Trojan faithful, Ohio State phenom Jeremiah Smith. Beating a Buckeye for a national award? That alone might be worth a parade down Figueroa.
A Season That Demanded Attention
Let’s be real for a second. Playing offense at USC comes with a specific kind of pressure. You are expected to put up video game numbers, largely because the defense has historically treated “stopping the opponent” as a mere suggestion rather than a requirement. You have to score. A lot.
While the national media spent half the season trying to crown Smith as the second coming of Jerry Rice, Lemon just kept getting open. He finished the regular season with 79 receptions for 1,156 yards. That yardage total didn’t just look good on a stat sheet; it led all Power Four players.
But the stat that actually matters is what he did after the ball hit his hands. Lemon racked up 718 yards after the catch (YAC). That isn’t just a scheme; that’s effort. That is refusing to go down on the first contact because you know your team needs the first down. He dropped just two passes on 108 targets, which is the kind of reliability that makes quarterbacks want to buy you a steak dinner every Sunday.
The Analytics Darlings Love Him
If you aren’t into the “eye test” and prefer spreadsheets, Lemon wins there, too. PFF (Pro Football Focus), the site that football nerds treat like gospel, graded him as the best wide receiver in the country. He pulled a 91.3 receiving grade and a 90.4 overall grade.
Why does that matter? Because PFF grades isolate the player from the surroundings. It tells us that even when the play broke down or the blocking wasn’t perfect, Lemon was executing at an elite level. He was also the first Big Ten player since Eric Decker in 2009 to catch two touchdowns and throw for one in a single game(against Oregon)
Joining Exclusive Company
By securing this hardware, Lemon joins Lee as the only two Trojans to win the award. It speaks to the caliber of the season Lemon put together. He didn’t just have big games; he was the engine of the offense. He didn’t fade when the travel schedule got brutal; he got better.
He’s set to pick up the actual trophy in Tallahassee on March 28, 2026. Until then, he can rest easy knowing he didn’t just have a good year. He had the kind of year that forces the history books to make a new entry and raise his draft stock.
