Ball State University Athletics
Justin Hall Named to Biletnikoff Award Preseason Watch List
July 22, 2021 | Football
Veteran BSU receiver among contenders for nation’s top receiver award
MUNCIE, Ind. — Ball State fifth-year senior Justin Hall (Douglasville, Ga./Alexander High School) was named to the preseason watch list for the Biletnikoff Award, given annually to the top receiver in college football.
Hall is the lone Mid-American Conference player on the watch list. The Cardinals have had a representative on the list in seven of the past nine years, with Hall also making the list in 2018.
The Biletnikoff Award 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.
Hall enters the 2021 season as the nation's active leader in career receptions. He sits atop the Cardinals' all-time career receptions list (257) and ranks fifth in BSU history in career receiving yards (2,772), entering the 2021 campaign 258 yards shy of Dante Ridgeway's school record.
Hall holds the nation's longest active receptions streak at 43 straight games (every game of his career). He led the Cardinals last season with 49 receptions and 665 receiving yards, ranking second in the MAC in both categories.
Hall earned All-MAC First Team honors at both receiver and return specialist in 2020 while finishing the season ranked fourth nationally in all-purpose yards at 169.9 per game and 13th in the country with 7.0 receptions per contest. He earned MAC West Division Player of the Week honors (12/14/2020) in helping Ball State move past Western Michigan for the division title and was tabbed three times to the Hornung Honor Roll which recognizes the nation's most versatile performances.
Hall's success on the field helped Ball State to one of its most memorable seasons in program history, as the Cardinals finished 2020 with a 7-1 (5-1 MAC) record. BSU won its last seven games, claiming the MAC Championship over No. 23 Buffalo and the Arizona Bowl over No. 19 San Jose State on its way to a year-end national ranking of No. 23 in both the AP and coaches polls.
The Cardinals are looking to "run it back" as the favorite to win the MAC West Division and the Rocket Mortgage MAC Football Championship Game again in 2021 in the league's annual preseason media poll.
The 2021 Ball State football season is set to begin Thursday, Sept. 2, with a 7 p.m. kickoff versus Western Illinois at Scheumann Stadium. Season tickets, six-ticket flex plans, and single-game tickets are available now. Season ticket and flex plan holders enjoy the best available prices on Cardinals tickets along with additional benefits, including primary access to away games and postseason events. Fans can also purchase tickets via phone at 888.BSU.TICKET.
The 2021 Biletnikoff Award Preseason Watch List
(Other receivers will be added as their season performances dictate)
Jordan Addison, Pitt
Calvin Austin III, Memphis
David Bell, Purdue
Ronnie Bell, Michigan
Max Borghi, Washington State
Kayshon Boutte, LSU
Treylon Burks, Arkansas
Elijah Cooks, Nevada
Jacob Cowing, UTEP
Dontay Demus Jr., Maryland
Jahan Dotson, Penn State
Romeo Doubs, Nevada
Emeka Emezie, NC State
Erik Ezukanma, Texas Tech
Zay Flowers, Boston College
Zakhari Franklin, UTSA
Ty Fryfogle, Indiana
Kaylon Geiger, Texas Tech
Justin Hall, Ball State
Mike Harley, Miami
Taj Harris, Syracuse
Jaivon Heiligh, Coastal Carolina
Xavier Hutchinson, Iowa State
Johnny Johnson III, Oregon
Billy Kemp IV, Virginia
Charlie Kolar, Iowa State
Isaiah Likely, Coastal Carolina
Drake London, USC
Michael Mayer, Notre Dame
Bo Melton, Rutgers
John Metchie III, Alabama
Marvin Mims, Oklahoma
Chris Olave, Ohio State
Sam Pinckney, Georgia State
Rashee Rice, SMU
Jaquarii Roberson, Wake Forest
Reggie Roberson Jr., SMU
Jaylon Robinson, UCF
Gunner Romney, BYU
Justyn Ross, Clemson
Bradley Rozner, Rice
Khalil Shakir, Boise State
Keylon Stokes, Tulsa
Jalen Tolbert, South Alabama
Cole Turner, Nevada
Jaden Walley, Mississippi State
Tahj Washington, USC
Garrett Wilson, Ohio State
Michael Wilson, Stanford
Mike Woods, Oklahoma
Jalen Wydermyer, Texas A&M
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