HONOLULU – University of Hawai'i wide receiver Jared Smart was among a list of 55 preseason candidates for the Biletnikoff Award, presented by the Tallahassee Quarterback Club Foundation and annually recognizes college football's outstanding receiver.
 
Last season, Smart was one of just four players on the roster to start every game and finished second on the team in receptions (87) and receiving yards (1,129). He led the team with five 100-yard receiving games and ranked fifth in the Mountain West in both receptions per game (5.8) and receiving yards per game (75.3).
 
The Dublin, Calif., native was one of just 16 players in program history to reach the 1,000-yard receiving mark in a season. He tallied season-highs of 11 catches against Air Force and 142 yards in a SoFi Hawai'i Bowl win over BYU.
 
The semifinalists, finalists, and award recipient are selected by the highly distinguished Biletnikoff Award National Selection Committee, a group of prominent college football journalists, commentators, announcers, Biletnikoff Award winners, and other former receivers. 
 
The award is named after Fred Biletnikoff, a member of the pro and college football halls of fame, who was a consensus All-America receiver at Florida State University, and an All-Pro receiver for the Oakland Raiders. He caught 589 passes for 8,974 yards and 76 touchdowns in his 14-year Raiders career from 1965 through 1978. Fred was the Most Valuable Player of Super Bowl XI.