UConn's Skyler Bell Named Finalist For Major Honor
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The UConn Huskies' wide receiver, Skyler Bell, has inched closer to a major honor following a historic 2025 regular season. The youngster was named as one of three finalists for the 2025 Biletnikoff Award alongside Makai Lemon from USC and Jeremiah Smith from Ohio State.
The award is given to college football's most outstanding wide receiver. Former winners include Hall of Famers Randy Moss and Calvin Johnson, as well as current NFL superstar Ja'Marr Chase. Bell has become the first UConn player in program history to achieve finalist recognition for one of the sport's most prestigious individual accolades.
The Biletnikoff Award winner will be announced on December 12 during the Home Depot College Football Awards Show on ESPN.
Finalists for Biletnikoff Award, signifying nation's top receiver
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) November 25, 2025
Skyler Bell, UConn
Makai Lemon, USC
Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State
The Huskies' WR leads the entire FBS in all three major receiving categories with 101 receptions, 1,276 receiving yards, and 13 touchdowns in 12 games. He looks far ahead of Lemon, who has 78 receptions for 1,124 yards and 10 touchdowns, and Smith, who has 69 receptions for 902 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Bell has flipped the switch upon his transfer from Wisconsin. With the Badgers, he recorded 68 receptions for 740 yards and six touchdowns across three seasons. His best Badgers season (2022) featured just 30 receptions and five touchdowns.
This season alone, Bell has recorded 101 receptions, already tripling his best single-season Wisconsin output. His 13 touchdowns make his entire Wisconsin career total look petty, exceeding by more than 100%. Over two seasons at UConn, he has accumulated 151 receptions for 2,354 yards and 18 touchdowns.
His 106.5 receiving yards per game ranks second nationally, trailing only San Jose State's Danny Scudero. His 8.42 receptions per game are also among the best in the nation.
Skyler Bell’s Incredible 2025 Season
Skyler Bell has put together one of the greatest wide receiver campaigns in UConn history. He opened his senior season with four receptions for 135 yards and two touchdowns against Central Connecticut State, highlighted by an 80-yard touchdown. Bell then posted 11 catches for 105 yards in the 27–20 overtime loss to Syracuse.
Against Delaware, he recorded seven receptions for 92 yards in a 44–41 defeat. He bounced back with a career-best 14 catches for 113 yards and a touchdown in a 31–25 win over Ball State.
Over the next two contests, Bell added 12 receptions for 117 yards and three touchdowns. He returned to double-digit receptions versus Boston College with 10 catches for 125 yards and a score in a 38–23 victory.
Bell elevated his production again in the following games. He hauled in eight passes for a season-high 158 yards and a touchdown, featuring another 80-yard score, in a double-overtime loss to Rice. He then matched his career-best with three touchdown receptions and charted 149 yards on eight catches in a 38–19 win.
He continued his hot streak with 11 receptions for 87 yards and two touchdowns in a dramatic 37–34 win over Duke. His first touchdown of that game made program history, as he became the first UConnplayer ever to reach 12 receiving touchdowns in a single season, surpassing Carl Bond’s previous mark from 1998.
Bell followed with eight receptions for 70 yards in a 26–16 victory, snapping his remarkable seven-game touchdown streak. He capped the year with eight receptions for 125 yards. His seven 100-yard performances tied Noel Thomas’s 2016 school record for most in an FBS season, and his 101 total receptions set a new single-season program record, surpassing Thomas’s previous mark of 100 set in 2016.
Nishant is a sports writer with over four years of experience covering major leagues such as the NBA, NFL, and soccer. He has bylines in several reputable digital media platforms, including Sportskeeda, Athlon Sports, Pro Football & Sports Network, and PinkVilla. He's known for delivering insightful and engaging coverage on everything, turning game-day grit into punchy storytelling.