Louisville WR Chris Bell named Biletnikoff Award Semifinalist
University of Louisville star wideout Chris Bell has been named a semifinalist for the 2025 Biletnikoff Award.
The Yazoo City, Mississippi, native was named to the award’s watchlist in the preseason.
Bell, now with two games remaining in his senior season, has totaled 67 catches, 871 yards, and 6 touchdowns. He is second in the ACC in yards and first in scores amongst receivers.
The Biletnikoff Award is given to the most outstanding pass catcher in the nation at the FBS level. You do not have to be a wide receiver to be a recipient; however, all 13 of this year’s semifinalists are wideouts
You can find the entire 13-player list of semifinalists, as announced on Monday, here.
Bell, the 6-foot-2, 220-pound target, has established himself as one of the best outside weapons in the country and has started to climb on 2026 NFL Draft Boards. The four-year Cardinal has also improved each season in the red and black. For the last three years, Bell has played second fiddle to Ja’Corey Brooks and Jamari Thrash, two other NFL roster-caliber wideouts, but just this fall had the chance to be Louisville’s primary target through the air. However, his numbers in his last two seasons were nothing to scoff at.
He found the endzone more than once in both 2023 and 2024, also catching 29+ balls and totaling 400+ yards in each year. Bell’s 737-yard campaign in 2024 was his best career season coming into his senior season.
Bell is just one of two ACC players to be named as a semifinalist, alongside Florida State’s Duce Robinson.
Against Miami (FL), Bell caught nine balls for 136 yards and two impressive catch-and-run scores. The 24-21 over the second-ranked Hurricanes was the third game of a three-game stretch where Bell had at least nine catches, 135 yards, and a touchdown in each contest. In the weeks prior, he totaled a career best 12 catches and 170 yards through the air versus No. 24 Virginia, and also shined at Pittsburgh with another 100-yard game.
Louisville currently sits at 7-3 after back-to-back losses, and as a result, is no longer in the College Football Playoff and ACC Championship Game discussion. However, according to head coach Jeff Brohm, the Cards still have plenty to play for and are taking things one game at a time.
Brohm’s Cardinals travel to SMU (7-3) this weekend in hopes of avenging last year’s loss to the Mustangs. The game will kick off at noon EST on Saturday in Dallas.
