Maryland WR Chris Durr Jr. earns deserving honor

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Maryland's offense has struggled with consistency in 2026, but there has been a bright spot, who was officially recognized on Wednesday.

Wide receiver Chris Durr Jr. was added to the Biletnikoff Award Watch List, awarded to the nation's best wide receiver. He will now share the field this upcoming weekend with another top candidate in OSU WR Jeremiah Smith, widely viewed to be the top prospect in the 2027 NFL Draft. Yet Durr has proven himself already through roughly the first half of his season at Maryland.

Durr ranks tied for second in the country with 42 catches and 8.4 per game while his 92.2 yards per game ranks fifth in the Big Ten. Durr is also tied with RB Iverson Howard for a team-high four touchdowns in 2026, living up to all the offseason buzz as an impact addition to the offense.

His arrival was made possible after a late surge to get him on campus for an official visit shortly after visiting Virginia, proving to be the difference with Maryland topping its former ACC rival. It proved to be a big offseason win as the Chicago, Il. native now joins Levern Jacobs in 2013 and Tai Felton in 2024 as the only Terps over the last 30 season to open a season with at least six catches in five consecutive games. Durr recorded a career-high 12 catches against Virginia Tech for 109 yards and two touchdowns, one week after exploding for 103 yards and one touchdown on ten catches. His feat of notching double digit catches in consecutive week made him the first Terp since 1996 to eclipse the mark in consecutive games, while his 12 catches are tied with Chig Okonkwo, DJ Moore and Frank Wycheck for seventh-most in program history in a game.

Durr also notched already his third 100-yard receiving game of the season after his 65 yard TD vs. Nebraska pushed him to 149 yards on seven catches. With at least 100 receiving yards and a touchdown against both UConn and Virginia Tech, Durr Jr. also joined Vernon Davis (2005), Smith (2010), Stefon Diggs (2013), Dontay Demus Jr. (2021) and Felton (2024) as the only Maryland players this century to reach those marks in consecutive games.

The Biletnikoff Award’s semifinalists, three finalists, and recipient are selected by the Biletnikoff Award National Selection Committee, which consists of 625 prominent college football journalists, commentators, announcers, past award winners, and other former receivers. Foundation trustees do not vote and have never participated in the voting process. A complete list of voters is available at BiletnikoffAward.com/voters.

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