Mid-American Conference

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Ball State fifth-year senior Justin Hall was named to the preseason watch list for the Biletnikoff Award, given annually to the top receiver in college football. 

Hall is the lone Mid-American Conference player on the watch list. The Cardinals have had a representative on the list in seven of the past nine years, with Hall also making the list in 2018. 

The Biletnikoff Award annually recognizes the college football season's outstanding FBS receiver. Any player, regardless of position (wide receiver, tight end, slot back, and running back) who catches a pass is eligible for the award. As such, the Biletnikoff Award recognizes college football's outstanding receiver, not merely college football's outstanding wide receiver.

Hall enters the 2021 season as the nation's active leader in career receptions. He sits atop the Cardinals' all-time career receptions list (257) and ranks fifth in BSU history in career receiving yards (2,772), entering the 2021 campaign 258 yards shy of Dante Ridgeway's school record.

Hall holds the nation's longest active receptions streak at 43 straight games (every game of his career). He led the Cardinals last season with 49 receptions and 665 receiving yards, ranking second in the MAC in both categories. 

Hall earned All-MAC First Team honors at both receiver and return specialist in 2020 while finishing the season ranked fourth nationally in all-purpose yards at 169.9 per game and 13th in the country with 7.0 receptions per contest. He earned MAC West Division Player of the Week honors (12/14/2020) in helping Ball State move past Western Michigan for the division title and was tabbed three times to the Hornung Honor Roll which recognizes the nation's most versatile performances. 

Hall's success on the field helped Ball State to one of its most memorable seasons in program history, as the Cardinals finished 2020 with a 7-1 (5-1 MAC) record. BSU won its last seven games, claiming the MAC Championship over No. 23 Buffalo and the Arizona Bowl over No. 19 San Jose State on its way to a year-end national ranking of No. 23 in both the AP and coaches polls.

The award recipient is 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. Foundation trustees do not vote and have never voted. For a list of voters, please see BiletnikoffAward.com/voters 

Receivers are frequently added to the watch list as their season performances dictate. Actual, not potential, performance is the basis for inclusion on the Biletnikoff Award Watch List. The Biletnikoff Award candidate eligibility and voting criteria, transparently explicit and detailed, are available for review at BiletnikoffAward.com/criteria.