Tight end, Texas, 2021–⁠23

Ja’Tavion Sanders

Height
6′4″
Weight
243 lb
Class (2023)
Junior
Hometown
Denton, TX
Born
Mar 27, 2003

Ja’Tavion Sanders played tight end at Texas (2021–⁠23). The Carolina Panthers took Sanders in round 4, No. 101 overall in the 2024 NFL Draft.

At a glance

Best season
682
Receiving yards, 2023 (Texas, 12–⁠2)
Drafted
No. 101
Round 4, 2024 NFL Draft (Carolina Panthers)

Career highs

8catches, career highvs. Oklahoma State, 2023114receiving yards, career highat Alabama, 20232receiving touchdowns, career hightwice; last vs. Oklahoma, 2022

Honors

Team titles: Big 12 champions, 2023

Receiving

Receiving yards, season by season, with his team’s record
SeasonTeamRecYdsAvgTDLong
2022Texas5461311.4537
2023Texas4568215.2250
Career991,29513.1750

Season lines from CollegeFootballData, regular season and bowls.

On the roster

SeasonTeamPosClassHtWt
2021TexasTEFr.
2022TexasTESo.
2023TexasTEJr.6′4″243

As each season’s roster listed the player (CollegeFootballData). Classes before the latest listing are counted back from it; “Yr 1” is the year on file where that count can’t place a season he played (a redshirt, transfer or 2020 year); height and weight as last listed.

Per play

SeasonTeamPlaysEPA/playPctileMedianTotalUsage
2022Texas670.7353rd (n=683)0.7148.88%
2023Texas510.9367th (n=681)0.8047.36%

Expected points added: how much the player’s plays moved the team’s expected score, per play and in total. Plays: total EPA divided by EPA per play, the plays the source credits to him (for a receiver roughly his catches and runs, not every target; for a passer, not every attempt), so it can differ from attempts plus carries. Percentile: against the position’s regulars that season across all divisions on file (quarterbacks with 150+ plays, backs 60+, receivers and tight ends 30+), with how many there were (n) and their median; a dash means too few plays to rank. A season in progress uses the full-season bar scaled by games played, never below 75 plays for quarterbacks, 30 for backs and 20 for receivers. The cohort grows or shrinks with the source’s coverage each season (2025 lists far more players), so compare percentiles rather than raw EPA across years. FCS seasons are marked. Usage: the share of the team’s plays the player was part of (shown from 20 plays). From CollegeFootballData, 2013 on.

Game by game

2023 Texas 13 games, 45 catches, 682 yards, 2 TD
DateOpponentResultRecYdsTDLongRush
Sep 2vs.RiceW 37–⁠10244144–
Sep 9atAlabamaW 34–⁠245114050–
Sep 23atBaylorW 38–⁠65110049–
Sep 30vs.KansasW 40–⁠14110010–
Oct 7vs.OklahomaL 30–⁠34113013–
Oct 21atHoustonW 31–⁠24229023–
Oct 28vs.BYUW 35–⁠6437020–
Nov 4vs.Kansas StateW 33–⁠30221016–
Nov 11atTCUW 29–⁠26447019–
Nov 18atIowa StateW 26–⁠16232017–
Nov 24vs.Texas TechW 57–⁠7345023–
Dec 2vs.Oklahoma StateW 49–⁠21810512612
Jan 1 ✦vs.WashingtonL 31–⁠37675021–
2022 Texas 13 games, 54 catches, 613 yards, 5 TD
DateOpponentResultRecYdsTDLongRush
Sep 3vs.UL MonroeW 52–⁠10685125–
Sep 10vs.AlabamaL 19–⁠203408–
Sep 17vs.UTSAW 41–⁠201505–
Sep 24atTexas TechL 34–⁠37540010–
Oct 1vs.West VirginiaW 38–⁠20578233–
Oct 8vs.OklahomaW 49–⁠0571224–
Oct 15vs.Iowa StateW 24–⁠21337018–
Oct 22atOklahoma StateL 34–⁠41676021–
Nov 5atKansas StateW 34–⁠27554018–
Nov 12vs.TCUL 10–⁠17761024–
Nov 19atKansasW 55–⁠141101–
Nov 25vs.BaylorW 38–⁠27265037–
Dec 29 ✦vs.WashingtonL 20–⁠27536017–
2021 Texas 1 game, 1 return, −4 yards
DateOpponentResultRecYdsTDLongRush
Sep 25vs.Texas TechW 70–⁠35–––––

Box scores from CollegeFootballData, 2004 on. ✦ postseason; ★ a career high on file.

Before the draft

DrillCombine 2024Combine or pro day 2024
Height6′3⅞″
Weight245 lb
Arm length32⅞″
Hand size10⅛″
Wingspan78¼″W
40-yard dash4.69 s
10-yard split1.59 s
Vertical jump30″
Broad jump9′6″
Bench press8 reps
20-yard shuttle4.32 s

Combine or pro day: the source doesn’t say which. Unmarked: Combine and pro day results compiled by array-carpenter (nfl-draft-data); W: Pre-draft measurables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).

In the NFL

2 seasons, 27 games with a stat; latest team: Carolina Panthers.

SeasonTeamGRecYdsTD
2024Carolina Panthers15333421
2025Carolina Panthers12291901
NFL career27625322

Regular seasons, from nflverse (CC BY 4.0). G counts games in which the player recorded a stat.

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