Atkins broke the USF record for individual receptions last season
(GOUSFBULLS.COM) – The list of national awards for South Florida football grew to five on Wednesday when senior wide receiver Sean Atkins was named to the Biletnikoff Award Watch List. The Biletnikoff Award recognizes FBS football’s most outstanding receiver at each position and has been given out since 1994.
Atkins, a semifinalist for the 2023 Burlsworth Trophy, awarded to the nation’s best current or former college football player, returns after a record-breaking season in which he became the Bulls’ first receiver to record a 1,000-yard season.
Atkins set program records with 92 catches for 1,054 yards and also caught seven touchdowns, which ranks second all-time in a season at USF.
Atkins was named to the All-AAC second team after catching at least seven balls in seven consecutive games and catching 100-yard passes twice.
He recorded two catches for 93 yards and two touchdowns in the 45-0 Boca Raton Bowl victory over Syracuse and recorded a personal-high 10 catches and 169 receiving yards at UTSA in the win over Temple.
Atkins was named a preseason All-American by Phil Steele, First Team All-AAC by Steel and Athlon Sports, and Second Team All-AAC by Lindy’s.
Marvin Harrison, Jr. of Ohio State won the 2023 Biletnikoff Award.
USF returns 19 starters in 2024 (nine on offense, eight on defense and two specialists) from a team that set 12 team and 16 individual program records while going 7-6 (a program-best turnaround after six games) and earning a 45-0 victory in the Boca Raton Bowl against Syracuse in 2023.
The Bulls return record-setting starting quarterback Byrum Brown, who accounts for 85 percent of their rushing yards, 84 percent of their receiving yards, and four main starters on the offensive line.
On defense, USF returns nine of its top 11 tacklers, led by Shuler, who had a team-best 97 stops and recorded 8.5 tackles for loss in 2023.
The Bulls open the season on August 31 against Bethune-Cookman at Raymond James Stadium before away games at Alabama (September 7) and Southern Mississippi (September 14) and a home game against Miami (September 21).
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