Forgive Brandin Cooks, but if he’s being honest, it’s a little hard for him to spell “Biletnikoff” without looking.

After Thursday night, though, that might change.

Cooks, Oregon State’s junior superstar, won the Biletnikoff Award, presented annually to college football's top wide receiver, in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.

Texas A&M's Mike Evans and Clemson's Sammy Watkins were the other finalists.

“When it was announced it didn’t hit me,” Cooks laughed, who looked a little shellshocked as he walked to the stage. “When when I walked up I thought, ‘Wait, what is going on?’”

Cooks is the second Oregon State player to be awarded the prestigious honor, which is now in its 20th year; Mike Hass was the first, honored in 2005.

“He certainly deserved it,” Hass said Thursday night. “He had a better year than I did when I won it.”

Cooks said his phone blew up with “at least 100 texts and messages” from coaches, teammates, friends and family when his name was called, but he celebrated immediately with his mom, Andrea, one of his brothers and his sister-in-law, all of whom made the trip.

“To be able to share that moment with them, it was amazing,” Cooks said.

Also Thursday, Cooks earned two All-America honors prior to the Biletnikoff announcement. He was named a Walter Camp First-Team All-American, becoming the ninth Oregon State first-team selection in 124 years of the awarding of Walter Camp All-Americans. Prior to that honor, Cooks was named a first-team All-America honoree by Athlon Sports.

Cooks won the Biletnikoff by a single vote, and the scales were tipped by none other than Beaver Nation; the fan vote gave Cooks the slight edge, and prompted him to

.

One year after playing sidekick to All-American Markus Wheaton,

, leading the conference -- and nation -- in total receiving yards with 1,670.

at his grabs in double coverage and his acceleration after the catch, prompting at least one to call him the most explosive player in the

Pac-12.

“This is just awesome,” said receivers coach Brent Brennan, currently recruiting in Los Angeles. “I think this speaks a lot about the quality of quarterbacks we’ve had here because both those guys (Brandin and Mike) had great people throwing to them. It speaks to Coach (Mike) Riley’s system, too. In a day and age when so many people are enamored with the spread and up-tempo style, it’s awesome to show Brandin’s kind of production that comes out of a pro-style scheme.”

Cooks, who is generously listed at 5-foot-10 — he joked that one of the best parts of his trip to Florida was meeting former Heisman winner Desmond Howard and learning he is about one inch taller than the former Michigan standout — has wowed spectators partially because of how high he can jump.

“I like his runs after the catch, I think that’s the most impressive, but he can get up and get the ball in traffic, too,” Hass said. “Just because you’re smaller, that doesn’t mean you’re not a good player. He can get a little lower than most, and he’s a fast guy, a strong guy.”

Despite defenders knowing the Beavers want to get the ball in Cooks' hands as much as possible, the junior speedster has continually produced, going over 100 receiving yards in eight games this season, over 150 yards four times and over 200 yards twice. For his career, Cooks has totaled 3,212 receiving yards and 23 touchdowns on 218 receptions.

Should he return for his senior year, Cooks would have a chance to rewrite the receiving record book, namely Hass' 3,924 career receiving yards and Wheaton's 227 receptions. But he's not going to grow more physically and his numbers can't get that much better, so some NFL experts have projected that he'll leave now instead of coming back and risking serious injury.

“He’s a good kid, what’s why I don’t mind him breaking my records,” Hass said. “He’s got a little swagger to him, which I like, but when you meet him off the field, he’s got a great personality, he knows what he wants, and what he’s working for.

“He’s done about as much as you can do in a single year as a receiver in college … it’s about what he wants to do. Obviously the Oregon State fan base wants him to come back, but I would tell him he needs to do what’s best for him and his family.”

Cooks has brushed aside all questions about his future, saying those close to him know not to speculate or ask what he's thinking until OSU's season is over.

But as Cooks returns to Corvallis Friday to begin Hawaii Bowl prep, surely he knows that time is rapidly approaching.

Brennan, however, isn't concerned about that.

"Brandin's decision is Brandin's decision," Brennan said. "My job is to get him

. We're going to talk a lot more about Boise State and their secondary than we are about the idea of him going pro."

Earlier this week, when Cooks first arrived in Florida and Brennan was scouring the west for the next great Oregon State receiver, Cooks sent a text to Brennan that sums up why he considers Cooks "the golden standard."

"You know what his text said to me? It said he can't wait to get back on the field with his teammates and start preparing for this game," Brennan said. "That's who he is, that's why he's great. I've never been around a player like him, I've never coached anybody who attacks practice and preparation like he does. He's the golden standard for me. He's everything you'd want in a leader."

Now, he's a prestigious award winner, too.

— Lindsay Schnell