July 17, 2012

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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Oregon State senior wide receiver Markus Wheaton has been named to the 2012 Biletnikoff Award Preseason Watch List. The award annually recognizes the outstanding receiver in college football.

Wheaton, a native of Chandler, Ariz., started all 12 games as a junior and has 20 starts overall while establishing himself as the Beavers’ top playmaker on offense. In 2012, Wheaton just missed his first 1,000-yard receiving season, making 73 catches for 986 yards – good for eighth in the Pac-12. With 136 receptions, Wheaton ranks ninth on Oregon State’s career list and his 1,750 receiving yards is just outside the top 10 in OSU history.

The award recipient is selected by the Biletnikoff Award National Selection Committee, a group of more than 180 prominent football journalists, commentators, and receivers. Past winners of the Biletnikoff Award include NFL greats Randy Moss (1997), Larry Fitzgerald (2003) and Calvin Johnson (2006) and Oregon State standout Mike Hass in 2005.

The 2012 winner will be presented live on Dec. 6, 2012, on The Home Depot College Football Awards Show to be broadcast on ESPN.

The Tallahassee Quarterback Club Foundation, Inc. will announce the 10 Biletnikoff Award semifinalists on Nov. 12, 2012, following the vote by the Biletnikoff Award National Selection Committee. Likewise, the three finalists will be declared, following another vote, on Nov. 19, 2012.

Wheaton joins a growing list of Oregon State players on national awards watch lists. Senior cornerback Jordan Poyer is on the watch lists for the Nagurski Trophy, Thorpe Award, Bednarik Award and the Lott Trophy and, Monday, sophomore defensive end Scott Crichton was named to the Lombardi Award watch list.

Oregon State opens fall camp Aug. 6. The season opener is Sat., Sept. 1 when the Beavers host Nicholls State at Reser Stadium.

More fans will see more Oregon State sports on more channels than ever before when the Pac-12 Networks launches on August 15. If that doesn’t get your orange blood pumping, watch the video below to get a taste of what will be on the network. To learn if you will get Pac-12 Networks from your TV provider visit the Pac-12 Networks Channel Finder.