TUCB StaffTue, November 25, 2025 at 8:50 PM UTC·2 min readUConn standout Skyler Bell was named one of three finalists for the Biletnikoff Award, given annually to college football’s top wide receiver. The other finalists are Makai Lemon of USC and Jeremiah Smith of Ohio State.
After 12 games, Bell sits first in the country in receptions, receiving yards, receiving touchdowns, and 100-yard games, setting single-season school records in catches and touchdowns, and 76 yards from the school record for yards in a season. His regular season is over, but some of his competition on the leaderboards still have a game to play. Smith has two.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementBell currently ranks ninth all-time at UConn in career receptions and yards. He’s been a tremendous big-play threat for the Huskies since transferring from Wisconsin, and played high school ball at The Taft School in Connecticut after growing up in the Bronx, NY.
As a 3-star recruit in the Class of 2021, Bell chose the Badgers over Georgia Tech, Iowa, and Northwestern.
After enrolling in Wisconsin and redshirting, Bell broke out as a redshirt freshman, grabbing 30 receptions for 444 yards and five touchdowns, before a less productive sophomore season. He entered the transfer portal after the 2023 season and announced his commitment to UConn before 2024 spring practice.
As a junior at UConn, Bell took on a starring role, leading the Huskies in all three categories with 50 receptions for 860 yards and 5 TDs, providing an immediate playmaking boost from the position alongside Purdue transfer TJ Sheffield.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementBell has followed it up with numbers that lead the nation, at least for now, and sit high in the UConn record books as well. His combination of talent, versatility, and work ethic has earned him the trust of his teammates and coaches, who see him playing in the NFL next year. Bell has been invited to the East-West Shrine Game and is the Huskies’ most likely player to be drafted at this point.
The Biletnikoff Award winner will be announced at The Home Depot College Football Awards Show on ESPN on December 12.
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