Alabama Crimson Tide junior wide receiver, Amari Cooper, brought home the prestigious Fred Biletnikoff Award to Tuscaloosa on Thursday night. The award is given annually to the top wide receiver in the country, and Cooper is the first Alabama player in the school’s storied history to bring back the hardware. Standing 6’1″ and weighing in at 210-pounds, Cooper finished his absurd season with an SEC-record of 115 total catches, and also lead the nation with 1,656 yards receiving, compiling three 200-plus yard games during his 2014 campaign.
The other two finalists for this sought after award were sophomore Rashard “Hollywood” Higgins from Colorado State, and senior Kevin White from West Virginia. Higgins, the smooth and silky wideout for the Rams, tallied 89 catches, 1,640 yards and 17 touchdowns, will be on display once more on December 20th in the Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl — Rashard’s Rams will take on the Utah Utes. White, the dynamic playmaker for the Mountaineers, reeled in 102 catches for 1,318 yards and 9 touchdowns, can be seen one last time as West Virginia squares off against the Texas A&M Aggies on December 29th in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl in Memphis.
Cooper was up against some great competition for the Biletnikoff Award; however, the stud WR with the soft hands ran away with the trophy. After all, Cooper does play in the best conference in college football, the SEC, and his Crimson Tide are No. 1 going into a clash with the No. 4 Ohio State Buckeyes in the Allstate Sugar Bowl on January 1, 2015. The winner will play for the FBS National Championship on January 12, 2015 in Arlington, Texas.
In addition to the Biletnikoff, Cooper is one of three Heisman Trophy finalists — quarterback Marcus Mariota from Oregon and running back Melvin Gordon from Wisconsin round out the field. If Amari manages to win the award, he would become the third WR ever to win the biggest prize in college football, the Heisman Trophy. Tim Brown of Notre Dame (1987) and Desmond Howard of Michigan (1991) are the only wide receivers to hoist the trophy.
If Cooper decides to declare for the NFL Draft at season’s end, as many think he will, he is currently projected to be a top-5 pick in next year’s draft. ESPN’s NFL draft expert, Mel Kiper, Jr., compares Amari Cooper to the magnificent Marvin Harrison, the future Hall of Fame wide receiver who played his entire thirteen year career with the Indianapolis Colts.
*Section Photo credit to Kevin C. Cox, Getty Images; Featured Photo (above) credit to Marvin Gentry, USA Today Sports.
