NFL Draft Scout
Featured In/On:
*Tyjae Spears, RB, Tulane
Selected: Round 3, Pick 18, Overall Pick 81 by Titans
|
 |
Name: *Tyjae Spears
College: Tulane
Number: 22
School Bio/Stats Link: HERE
Height: 5-10 Weight: 201
Position: Pos2: KR
Class/Draft Year: rJr/2023
40 Low: 4.48 40 Time: 4.54 40 High: 4.59
> Projected Round: Stock: 
|
|
 |
|
Data Scout Notes: X-2-3/12GP-129-863-6.7-9TD Rush in 21/Co-Starter/+5 LBs/rFr-2025 **2022: 01/02/23-Announced Early Entry into 2023 NFL Draft...OPOYC/1stC...PDoakWalker...2021: NAC...2020: NAC...(+) Sept 2020 Knee INJ/Out for 2020
|
Combine Results |
Pro Day Results |
Combine Invite: Yes
Height: 5095
Weight: 201
Zybek PD3X AKA "Official"
40 Yard Dash (ET):
40 Yard Dash (HH):
20 Yard (ET):
20 Yard (HH):
10 Yard (ET):
10 Yard (HH):
|
225 Lb. Bench Reps: 18
Vertical Jump: 39
Broad Jump: 10'05"
20 Yrd Shuttle:
3-Cone Drill:
No 40s-Full Workout-Choice
|
Dates: 03/16/23
Hand: 10 Arm: 30 3/4
Wingspan: 74 1/8
Height: 5095
Weight: 201
40 Yrd Dash: 4.54
20 Yrd Dash: 2.57
10 Yrd Dash: 1.57
|
225 Lb. Bench Reps:
Vertical Jump:
Broad Jump:
20 Yrd Shuttle: 4.32
3-Cone Drill: 7.27
40 Time Range: 4.52-4.56/Projected 4.47/Combine Numbers for the Rest
|
|
|
|
*Tyjae Spears, Tulane, Player News
|
Tulane tight end Alex Bauman caught a 6-yard touchdown from Michael Pratt with 9 seconds left to cap a frantic finish by the 14th-ranked Green Wave in a 46-45 win over Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams and No. 8 Southern California in the Cotton Bowl on Monday. Bauman's contested catch, with linebacker Eric Gentry draped over him, was initially ruled an incompletion, but a replay review showed the ball never touched the ground as the players rolled over in the end zone. The Green Wave scored 16 point s in the final 4:07, the game-winning touchdown coming after they got the ball back following a safety. "I might have had a heart attack," Tulane coach Willie Fritz said moments after the game ended. Williams was 37-for-52 passing for 462 yards and a Cot ton Bowl-record five touchdowns, exactly one month after the quarterback suffered a hamstring injury in USC's loss to Utah in the Pac-12 championship game that kept the Trojans from making the four-team College Football Playoff.Tyjae Spears ran fo r 205 yards and his career-best fourth touchdown started the final scoring surge for the American Athletic Conference champion Green Wave (12-2), who completed an FBS-record 10-win turnaround around after going 2-10 last season. They were in the New Year 's Six game as the highest-ranked Group of Five team. After Spears' 4-yard TD with 4:07 left, the Green Wave opted to kick deep instead of trying an onside kick. Mario Williams signaled for a fair catch, but fumbled the ball out of bounds at the 1. Two p lays later, defensive tackle Patrick Jenkins met Austin Jones in the end zone and smothered him for a safety. Pratt completed only 8 of 17 passes for 234 yards, but had two 24-yard completions on that final drive after the safety. The first one to Bauman converted a fourth-and-10, and Deuce Watts held on despite a crushing hit from a defender that left both of them on the ground after a 24-yard gain to the 6 with 18 seconds left. After Williams followed coach Lincoln Riley from Oklahoma, the Trojans (11 -3) matched the biggest turnaround in school history despite the coach's first loss in six games at AT&T Stadium. It was a seven-win improvement over last season's 4-8 record before Riley and Williams arrived on the West Coast. - Tulane/AP College Footba ll
(DS#4 RB) rJr/2023  RB *Tyjae Spears, Tulane
News Source: Tulane/AP College Football
Share/Comment/External News Feed: Here
|
|
|
2022 ALL-AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE FIRST TEAM: RB Tyjae Spears, Tulane, Jr.,...Spears leads the team and is placed third in the conference with his 1,177 yards rushing. He became just the sixth different Tulane player to ever top 1,000 yards rushing i n a single season. Spears has topped 100-yards in seven games this year including six straight to end the regular season. Spears was named the AAC Player of the Week on Nov. 28 after running for 181 yards against Cincinnati in the 27-24 road victory over the Bearcats. Spears leads the conference and is placed eighth nationally in touchdowns scored with 16. His 16 touchdowns scored (14 rushing and two receiving) are the third-most ever in a single season for a Tulane player. His 96 points scored this yea r is the sixth-highest single season total in school history. He is also one of seven players on the team with 20 or more receptions this year. In addition to being named the AAC Offensive Player of the Year, Spears also was named First Team All-AAC for the first time in his career. - Tulane Football
(DS#4 RB) rJr/2023 RB *Tyjae Spears, Tulane
News Source: Tulane Football
Share/Comment/External News Feed: Here
|
|
|
2022 AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE GEICO OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Tyjae Spears, RB, Tulane,...Spears becomes the first Tulane player, and the first non-quarterback, to be named as American Offensive Player of the Year. Spears finished the regular sea son with 1,177 rushing yards, good for third in The American, and a league-leading 14 rushing touchdowns. He registered a conference-best 972 yards and eight TDs in conference games, helping the Green Wave to a 7-1 league record (10-2 overall) and its fi rst appearance in The American Championship Game. - American Athletic Conference Football
(DS#4 RB) rJr/2023 RB *Tyjae Spears, Tulane
News Source: American Athletic Conference Football
Share/Comment/External News Feed: Here
|
|
|
NOV 28 AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Tyjae Spears, Jr., RB, Tulane,...Spears led Tulane to a 27-24 win at No. 24 Cincinnati, ending the Bearcats' 32-game winning streak at Nippert Stadium and sending the Green Wave to the Ame rican Athletic Conference Championship Game for the first time. Spears rushed for 181 yards and two touchdowns on 35 carries, turning in his sixth consecutive 100-yard game and surpassing the 1,000-yard mark for the season (1,177). Spears was not stopped behind the line of scrimmage on any of his 35 attempts as Tulane became the first team to win at Cincinnati since 2017. - AAC Football
(DS#4 RB) rJr/2023 RB *Tyjae Spears, Tulane
News Source: AAC Football
Share/Comment/External News Feed: Here
|
|
|
Michael Pratt found Shae Wyatt with a 30-yard touchdown pass with 5 minutes left to lead No. 19 Tulane to a 27-24 win over No. 24 Cincinnati on Friday, making the Green Wave the hosts for the upcoming American Conference Championship game. Tyjae Spears r ushed for two touchdowns and had 181 yards to contribute to the cause for Tulane (10-2, 7-1 AAC), which beat Cincinnati (9-3, 6-2) for the first time in five tries. Tulane also snapped the Bearcats' 32-game home streak. Pratt went 13-for-22 passing for 1 62 yards and the winning touchdown. He also rushed for 30 yards on nine carries.Redshirt sophomore Evan Prater started at quarterback for Cincinnati in place of Ben Bryant, who suffered a foot injury in the win over Temple. Overall, Prater was 10- for-26 for 102 yards and rushed for 83 yards on 18 carries. But he was intercepted by Dorian Williams on a tipped pass to Devean Deal midway through the third quarter. Bryon Threats was flagged for pass interference on a fourth-and-3 pass attempt to set up Spears' go-ahead two-yard run. Tulane had a 13-10 lead at halftime as Valentino Ambrosio kicked a 47-yard field goal with 21 seconds left. The kick followed a 28-yard pass from Pratt to Lawrence Keys III, which was ruled a touchdown on the field as Ke ys appeared to roll over Arquon Bush for a 58-yard score but overturned when replays showed Keys' knee touched the turf. - Tulane/AP College Football
(DS#4 RB) rJr/2023 RB *Tyjae Spears, Tulane
News Source: Tulane/AP College Football
Share/Comment/External News Feed: Here
|
|
|
Tyjae Spears ran for 157 yards and a touchdown and Shaadie Clayton-Johnson gained 106 to lead No. 19 Tulane to a 27-13 win over Tulsa on Saturday. Tulane (8-1, 5-0 American Athletic Conference) had lost the past two meetings with Tulsa (3-6, 1-4) in over time, but controlled this one with a dominant running game. The Hurricane gained 357 yards on the ground, with Spears and Johnson each running the ball 14 times. "Our offensive line did a terrific job," Tulane coach Willie Fritz said. "Bodies on bodies i s a big part of it." Tulsa had won seven of the first eight home games with Tulane. Michael Pratt completed 11 of 19 passes for 125 yards for Tulane. He was victimized by a walk-off interception return for a touchdown in overtime two seasons ago. Fritz d idn't worry about the losses in the past two years."Each year is different, said Fritz. "This is the 2022 Tulane Green Wave, and this is the 2022 Tulsa Golden Hurricane. We have to do a good job of flushing those down the toilet and playing and no t worrying about the past successes or failures and playing the best that you can.". Tulsa was playing without starting quarterback Davis Brin, who has been banged up but hadn't missed a game in the last two years. Brin had beaten Tulane the last two yea rs. Braylon Braxton couldn't rally the faltering Golden Hurricane, completing 13 of 25 passes for 146 yards and a touchdown. Tulsa coach Philip Montgomery said playing Tulane can be frustrating. "Defensively, they did a good job on us," Montgomery said. "They can really eat up the clock when they get the lead. Tulane had taken a two-touchdown lead on Spear's 34-yard touchdown run. Tulsa cut it to 17-10 at halftime on Braxton's 28-yard touchdown pass to JuanCarlos Santana. But Tulane went up 24-10 on its first possession of the second half on a 20-yarder from Pratt to Shae Wyatt, and was never threatened again. - Tulane/AP College Football
(DS#4 RB) rJr/2023 RB *Tyjae Spears, Tulane
News Source: Tulane/AP College Football
Share/Comment/External News Feed: Here
|
|
|
Third-string quarterback Kai Horton tossed a 10-yard touchdown pass to Tayjae Spears in overtime to give Tulane a 27-24 victory over Houston on Friday night in an American Athletic Conference opener. Bubba Baxa kicked a 36-yard field goal for Houston (2- 3, 0-1) in the opening possession of overtime. Horton forced overtime after leading a 75-yard, 11-play drive capped by his 3-yard touchdown shuffle pass to Tyrick James that tied the game 21-21 with 39 seconds remaining. Horton, who entered having thrown just one pass this season, took over for Justin Ibieta after Tulane's first series of offense. Horton completed 11 of 21 passes for 132 yards that included a 13-yard TD pass to Duece Watts early in the second quarter. Spears finished with six catches fo r 85 yards and added 54 yards rushing on 14 carries.Tulane (4-1, 1-0) jumped ahead 14-7 midway through the third quarter when Houston quarterback Clayton Tune dropped the ball while diving for extra yardage. Jadon Canady then scooped it up and ran untouched 57 yards into the end zone. It was the Green Wave's first fumble return for a touchdown since Nov. 14, 2020 against Army. Houston's Brandon Campbell bullied into the end zone from the 1 that tied it 14-14 with 10:04 remaining. Tune completed a 41-yard pass to KeSean Carter before Campbell scored three plays later. Tune's 14-yard touchdown pass to Nathaniel Dell gave the Cougars a 21-14 lead with 3:04 to play. Tune was 22-of-33 passing for 208 yards with two touchdown passes. Tulane last won a t Houston on Nov. 8, 2014. - Tulane/AP College Football
(DS#4 RB) rJr/2023 RB *Tyjae Spears, Tulane
News Source: Tulane/AP College Football
Share/Comment/External News Feed: Here
|
|
|
Tyjae Spears rushed for more yards in Tulane's finale against Memphis last season than any player in school history not named Matt Forte. His encore might last for all of 2022. Fully recovered from a torn ACL he suffered in Septembers 2020, Spears took a handoff from Michael Pratt during a red zone drill in Tulane's first preseason practice Wednesday morning, bounced outside, turned the corner and beat everyone to the pylon for a 15-yard touchdown. He punctuated his dash with a little jump as he approac hed the goal line. Twelve months after admitting he was nowhere near 100 percent physically or mentally, Spears, a redshirt junior from Ponchatoula, is in a much better head space. "Last year I still had a limp, and I'm kind of getting emotional right no w talking about all the hard work I put in," he said. "I don't want to brag on myself, but it's special to be here now and to keep on elevating."How high he can go is anyone's guess. Forte's record-shattering 2,127-yard season in 2007 is untouchab le, but maybe not Mewelde Moore's second-best total of 1,421 in 2001. Spears' 264-yard outburst on 30 carries at Memphis surprised no one who had seen him run. His skill set alone could help the Green Wave put last year's dismal 2-10 record in the rearvi ew mirror. "I'll never forget one of our first practices when I got here, he got the ball on a A-gap run (between the center and guard), took a jab step and ended up in the C-gap (outside the tackle) on the other side," said linebacker Nick Anderson, who arrived in 2019 along with Spears. "Last year around this time he was hesitant to make certain cuts, but you can see him getting back to his normal self." - New Orleans Times Picayune
(DS#4 RB) rJr/2023 RB *Tyjae Spears, Tulane
News Source: New Orleans Times Picayune
Share/Comment/External News Feed: Here
|
|
|
2022 PRESEASON DOAK WALKER AWARD CANDIDATE: Tyjae Spears (So.), Tulane,... Last year Tyjae Spears established himself as the Green Wave's top running back with 863 rushing yards and nine touchdowns through 12 games… Rushed for over 100 yards in four of the last five games of the season… Named to the Phil Steele All-American Athletic Conference Second Team at the conclusion of this redshirt freshman season… Ran in his first touchdown of the season versus Morgan State (Sept. 11)… Had his first 100 -yard game at home versus Cincinnati, totaling 106 yards and a touchdown (Oct. 30)… Accumulated 112 yards of total offense at UCF (Nov. 6)… Rushed for 104 yards versus Tulsa (Nov.13)… Had 111 yards and two touchdowns in the final home game of the s eason versus USF (Nov.19)… Had a career to close out the season at Memphis rushing for 264 yards and two touchdowns (Nov. 27). - Tulane Football
(DS#4 RB) rJr/2023 RB *Tyjae Spears, Tulane
News Source: Tulane Football
Share/Comment/External News Feed: Here
|
|
|
After practicing Friday for the first time in nearly 11 months and declaring himself ready to go, Tulane running back Tyjae Spears was brutally honest about the injury that stopped him in his tracks last September and prompted plenty of misgivings moving forward. Recovering from a torn anterior cruciate ligament is hard on the brain. "I'm not going to lie, I wanted to quit," he said. "Nine months ago I wasn't even walking. Two months ago, I was ready to quit and pack it up and go home." Those strong emo tions likely never would have morphed into reality. Spears, a Ponchatoula High product entering his third year with the Green Wave, is too talented with too much of a future to give it all up.After redshirting in 2019 (despite playing in four game s), he rushed for 105 yards in the Green Wave's 2020 opener against South Alabama, 119 more the following week against Navy and was halfway to 100 when the knee took a fateful hit against Southern Miss at the end of a touchdown run early in the second qu arter last Sept. 26. He thought his leg was broken, checked it and realized the problem was different. Either way, he knew his season was over in an instant. His perceived setbacks in his recovery reached a critical point in late May. "I wasn't seeing an y progress when I was doing the work every day," he said. "I was still limping. I couldn't finish. I couldn't get up to full speed. It just took a toll on me. Some days I was progressing in the training room, and then the next day I couldn't do anything and was back down to ground zero again." - New Orleans Times Picayune
(DS#4 RB) rJr/2023 RB *Tyjae Spears, Tulane
News Source: New Orleans Times Picayune
Share/Comment/External News Feed: Here
|
|
|
Tulane coach Willie Fritz confirmed Thursday what everyone feared when Tyjae Spears went down early in the second quarter against Southern Miss - his star running back will be out for the rest of the season. Fritz said Spears, a redshirt freshman from Po nchatoula, had surgery Thursday morning to repair a probable anterior cruciate ligament tear in his right knee. Off to a tremendous start in the Green Wave's first three games, he was hurt at the end of his second touchdown run against the Golden Eagles, appearing to take a wrong step after being hit as he crossed the goal line. That 15-yard score gave Spears 274 yards on 37 carries (7.4 average) in barely more than nine quarters, including back-to-back 100-yard games against South Alabama and Navy. An electric, big-play threat every time he touched the ball, he already was halfway to becoming the first player with three straight 100-yard games during Fritz's tenure when his year ended abruptly. "We're losing a great, great, great player for this seaso n," Fritz said. "He brings so much to the team besides his level of play. He's an example about how to practice and about how to prepare for a game. He does as good a job of that as anybody I've ever coached, and I've been doing this a long time. Guys ar e going to have to pick up the slack obviously." - New Orleans Times Picayune
(DS#4 RB) rJr/2023 RB *Tyjae Spears, Tulane
News Source: New Orleans Times Picayune
Share/Comment/External News Feed: Here
|
|
|
"He's as good a blocker as we've got," Fritz said. "He's a tough, hard-nosed competitor. I love everything about him, and he's only going to get better." The skill came with hard work. "This may sound crazy, but I want to be a better blocker than a runne r," Spears said. "This offseason I really took pride in it." Fritz knew what he had in Spears immediately, but with the Wave's depth at running back, he elected to redshirt him last season. Spears played in the maximum four games the NCAA allows to retai n four years of eligibility, rushing for 89 yards on eight carries against Missouri State and 60 yards on 12 attempts at Navy. The high mark for a running back at Tulane under Fritz was Darius Bradwell's 1,134 yards in 2018. If Spears stays healthy, that number should be in jeopardy even though he shares carries with Amare Jones, Cameron Carroll and Stephon Huderson."He's a true dog at running back," Tulane linebacker Nick Anderson said. "It's almost like he has a defensive mindset in the backfie ld where he's not afraid of contact. One play he'll try to run you over, and the next play you 'll think he'll try to run you over again and he'll hit you with a move. He has a lot of tools in his tool box." Fritz says Spears' only weakness might be the way he hammers himself for mistakes, letting a disappointing play bleed into the next one, but the more touches he gets, the more likely he will move on. He felt as if he were overlooked coming out of Ponchatoula, where he had 920 rushing yards and 880 r eceiving yards as a senior, but he already has put that frustration behind him. - New Orleans Times Picayune
(DS#4 RB) rJr/2023 RB *Tyjae Spears, Tulane
News Source: New Orleans Times Picayune
Share/Comment/External News Feed: Here
|
|
|
Tyjae Spears: big-time star. The redshirt freshman running back from Ponchatoula surpassed 100 yards and made some pivotal runs to get the Wave offense out of its funk in the second half. Running back always was going to be Tulane's strength on offense, and Spears always looked like the key guy in preseason practice. He appears capable of a 1,000-yard season. - New Orleans Times Picayune
(DS#4 RB) rJr/2023 RB *Tyjae Spears, Tulane
News Source: New Orleans Times Picayune
Share/Comment/External News Feed: Here
|
|
|
|
|
|
|