Lincoln Riley Shares Special Moment With Makai Lemon Before Biletnikoff Award Win

The USC Trojans brought home their second Biletnikoff Award after wide receiver Makai Lemon was awarded as the nation's most outstanding receiver. Prior to the public announcement, coach Lincoln Riley delivered the exciting news to Lemon.

Nov 29, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans wide receiver Makai Lemon (6) celebrates after catching a 32-yard touchdown pass against the UCLA Bruins in the second half at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

It's been an entire season of headlines starting with Makai Lemon after a dominant 2025 performance, and on Friday night, Lemon won Biletnikoff Award, awarded to college football most outstanding receiver.

Prior to the public announcement of his award, Lemon was given the news by USC Trojans coach Lincoln Riley, and was able to share the moment with the rest of the coaching staff. Since the beginning of the season, Lemon and Ohio State's Jeremiah Smith were tabbed as two of the best and strongest candidates for the award.

Coach Lincoln Riley Shares Award Win With Makai Lemon

Dec 27, 2023; San Diego, CA, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley (right) celebrates with wide receiver Makai Lemon (24) after the Holiday Bowl against the Louisville Cardinals at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The work behind the scenes has all led to this moment for Riley and Lemon, when Riley was the one to share the exciting news of Lemon's prestiguous award win with him a few days prior.

Makai Lemon finds out he is officially the best wide receiver in college football as the Biletnikoff winner #USC pic.twitter.com/cZ5SeOQFTs

— Chris Treviño (@ChrisNTrevino) December 13, 2025

The honor marks milestones for both Riley and the program, marking Riley's first ever Biletnikoff winner as a head coach and USC's second award winner, previously won by former USC wide receiver Marqise Lee in 2012.

Lemon cemented his historic regular season resume with 79 receptions for 1,156 receiving yards which leads all Power Four wide receivers, 11 receiving touchdowns, two rushing and one passing. The 5-foot-11 receiever from Los Alamitos, California also notched four games with 150+ receiving yards, tied for the most in FBS.

What makes the moment between Riley and Lemon special is that their relationship dates back to Lemon’s sophomore year of high school, when Riley was the head coach at Oklahoma. Lemon committed to the Sooners in August 2021, and when Riley accepted the USC head coaching job that November, Lemon flipped his commitment shortly after, following Riley to Los Angeles.

Sep 13, 2025; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Southern California Trojans wide receiver Makai Lemon (6) warms up before the game against the Purdue Boilermakers at Ross-Ade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images | Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

"He's a fearless player, always has been. Ever since I met him when he was a sophomore in high school, he's always had just that fearless quality to him and that continues to show up to this day," Riley said about Lemon after the Iowa win. "He's worked hard at his craft and we all have a lot of confidence in him and our other weapons."

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Lemon was in the running with Smith and UConn's Skylar Bell as the finalists, with Smith producing the numbers that made him a very strong Biletnikoff candidate. Smith finished the regular season with 80 receptions for 1,086 receiving yards and 11 receiving touchdowns. Bell finished his year with 101 receptions for 1,278 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns.

What Biletnikoff Win Means For Lemon's Future

Sep 20, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans wide receiver Makai Lemon (6) runs for a touchdown against the Michigan State Spartans during the second half at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Lemon has now, officially, cemented himself as college football's most outstanding wide receiver, and now turns to what the future will hold for him in the 2026 NFL Draft.

Throughout the season, Lemon drew comparisons to several NFL wide receivers based on the type and his overall playing style, with analysts pointing to Los Angeles Rams' Puka Nacua and Seattle Seahawks' Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Along with appearing in first-round projections across multiple draft boards, Lemon’s Biletnikoff win could solidify him as the first wide receiver selected in the draft.

Makai Lemon takes home the Biletnikoff Award as college football’s best receiver.

Celebrate with some of our favorite highlights from the @uscfb star ✌️ pic.twitter.com/dyqnmnjIKn

— USC on BTN (@USConBTN) December 13, 2025

Lemon's Award continues to add to the "Wide Receiver U" nickname USC proves, and has the chance to be another talented USC receiver to make waves in the league.