Tyjae Armon Spears (born June 15, 2001) is an American football running back for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Tulane.
No. 2 – Tennessee Titans | |||||||||||||
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Position: | Running back | ||||||||||||
Personal information | |||||||||||||
Born: | Hammond, Louisiana, U.S. | June 15, 2001||||||||||||
Height: | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ||||||||||||
Weight: | 200 lb (91 kg) | ||||||||||||
Career information | |||||||||||||
High school: | Ponchatoula (Ponchatoula) | ||||||||||||
College: | Tulane (2019–2022) | ||||||||||||
NFL draft: | 2023 / Round: 3 / Pick: 81 | ||||||||||||
Career history | |||||||||||||
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Roster status: | Active | ||||||||||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||
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Career NFL statistics as of 2023 | |||||||||||||
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Player stats at PFR |
Early years
editSpears grew up in Ponchatoula, Louisiana and attended Ponchatoula High School.[1] As a senior, he rushed for 920 yards and had 880 receiving yards with 18 total touchdowns.[2] Spears was rated a three-star recruit and committed to play college football at Tulane University after considering an offer from Kansas State.[3]
College career
editSpears rushed for 192 yards and one touchdown and caught five passes for 133 yards and one touchdown in four games during his freshman season at Tulane.[4][5] He began his sophomore season as the Green Wave's starting running back and rushed 37 times for 274 yards and two touchdowns before suffering a season-ending injury in Week 3 and using a medical redshirt.[6] As a redshirt sophomore, Spears gained 863 yards and scored nine touchdowns on 129 carries.[7] He was named the American Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Year as a redshirt junior.[8] He was ranked the 6th best college football player nationwide among the "100 Best Players of the College Football Bowl Season 2022–2023" by College Football News.[9]
Professional career
editHeight | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
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5 ft 9+5⁄8 in (1.77 m) |
201 lb (91 kg) |
30+3⁄4 in (0.78 m) |
10 in (0.25 m) |
4.54 s | 1.57 s | 2.57 s | 4.32 s | 7.27 s | 39.0 in (0.99 m) |
10 ft 5 in (3.18 m) |
18 reps | |
Sources:[10][11] |
Spears was drafted by the Tennessee Titans in the third round, 81st overall, of the 2023 NFL draft.[12] In Week 5, against the Colts, he scored his first professional touchdown on a 19-yard rush.[13] He finished his rookie season with 453 rushing yards and two touchdowns along with 52 catches for 385 yards and one touchdown.[14]
NFL career statistics
editRegular season
editYear | Team | Games | Receiving | Rushing | Fumbles | ||||||||||
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GP | GS | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Fum | Lost | ||
2023 | TEN | 17 | 1 | 52 | 385 | 7.4 | 48 | 1 | 100 | 453 | 4.5 | 23 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
Career | 17 | 1 | 52 | 385 | 7.4 | 48 | 1 | 100 | 453 | 4.5 | 23 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
References
edit- ^ Bailey, Jarrett (March 29, 2023). "Remember Your Why: How Tyjae Spears went from small Louisiana town to top running back prospect". Bears Wire. USA Today. Retrieved June 3, 2024.
- ^ Smith, Guerry (September 16, 2020). "Special gifts: Tulane running back Tyjae Spears broke out in his first start". NOLA.com. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
- ^ Smith, Guerry (September 16, 2022). "Battle of the backs: Tulane's Tyjae Spears, Kansas State's Deuce Vaughn in spotlight". NOLA.com. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
- ^ Smith, Guerry (March 10, 2020). "Corey Dauphine delighted to get another year as Tulane running back". NOLA.com. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
- ^ Mills, Richie (September 22, 2020). "Tyjae Spears' Journey to Tulane Starting Role". WGNO.com. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
- ^ Smith, Guerry (August 3, 2022). "Back to his old self, Tulane's Tyjae Spears looks to build on 264-yard 2021 finale". NOLA.com. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
- ^ Brooks, Jesse (November 4, 2022). "Tulane running back Tyjae Spears visits high school alma mater". Fox8Live.com. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
- ^ "Tulane's Tyjae Spears, coach Willie Fritz take top AAC awards, with Cincy LB Ivan Pace Jr". ESPN.com. Associated Press. December 1, 2022. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
- ^ "100 Best Players of the College Football Bowl Season 2022-2023". College Football News. March 2, 2023. Retrieved July 8, 2023.
- ^ "Tyjae Spears Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
- ^ "2023 NFL Draft Scout Tyjae Spears College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
- ^ Wyatt, Jim (April 28, 2023). "Titans Select Tulane RB Tyjae Spears in the Third Round of Friday's NFL Draft". TennesseeTitans.com. Retrieved July 8, 2023.
- ^ "Tennessee Titans at Indianapolis Colts - October 8th, 2023". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved June 3, 2024.
- ^ "Tyjae Spears 2023 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved June 3, 2024.