Defensive tackle, South Carolina, 2021–24
T.J. Sanders
- Number
- No. 90
- Height
- 6′4″
- Weight
- 290 lb
- Class (2024)
- Junior
- Hometown
- Marion, SC
- Born
- Jul 30, 2003
Wikipedia readers: about 1,932 a month over the past year
T.J. Sanders played defensive tackle at South Carolina (2021–24). The Buffalo Bills took Sanders in round 2, No. 41 overall in the 2025 NFL Draft.
At a glance
Career highs
9tackles, career hightwice; last vs. Ole Miss, 2024Honors
Defense
| Season | Team | Tkl | Solo | TFL | Sacks | PD | Hur |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | South Carolina | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2022 | South Carolina | 12 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 2023 | South Carolina | 43 | 28 | 9.5 | 4.5 | 4 | 4 |
| 2024 | South Carolina | 51 | 29 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 6 |
| Career | 106 | 62 | 17.5 | 9.5 | 6 | 13 | |
Season lines from CollegeFootballData, regular season and bowls.
On the roster
| Season | Team | No. | Pos | Class | Ht | Wt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | South Carolina | 90 | DT | Yr 1 | ||
| 2022 | South Carolina | 90 | DT | Yr 2 | ||
| 2023 | South Carolina | 90 | DT | Yr 3 | ||
| 2024 | South Carolina | 90 | DT | Jr. (Yr 4) | 6′4″ | 290 |
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.
Game by game
2024 South Carolina 13 games, 51 tackles, 4 sacks
| Date | Opponent | Result | Tkl | Solo | TFL | Sacks | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 31 | vs. Old Dominion | W 23–19 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 7 | at Kentucky | W 31–6 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Sep 14 | vs. LSU | L 33–36 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 21 | vs. Akron | W 50–7 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 5 | vs. Ole Miss | L 3–27 | 9 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 12 | at Alabama | L 25–27 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 19 | at Oklahoma | W 35–9 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Nov 2 | vs. Texas A&M | W 44–20 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Nov 9 | at Vanderbilt | W 28–7 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov 16 | vs. Missouri | W 34–30 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Nov 23 | vs. Wofford | W 56–12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov 30 | at Clemson | W 17–14 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Dec 31 ✦ | vs. Illinois | L 17–21 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2023 South Carolina 12 games, 43 tackles, 4.5 sacks
| Date | Opponent | Result | Tkl | Solo | TFL | Sacks | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 2 | vs. North Carolina | L 17–31 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 9 | vs. Furman | W 47–21 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Sep 16 | at Georgia | L 14–24 | 9 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Sep 23 | vs. Mississippi State | W 37–30 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Sep 30 | at Tennessee | L 20–41 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Oct 14 | vs. Florida | L 39–41 | 3 | 1 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 0 |
| Oct 21 | atMissouri | L 12–34 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 28 | atTexas A&M | L 17–30 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov 4 | vs. Jacksonville State | W 38–28 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov 11 | vs.Vanderbilt | W 47–6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov 18 | vs.Kentucky | W 17–14 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Nov 25 | vs.Clemson | L 7–16 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
2022 South Carolina 9 games, 12 tackles, 1 sack
| Date | Opponent | Result | Tkl | Solo | TFL | Sacks | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 10 | at Arkansas | L 30–44 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 17 | vs.Georgia | L 7–48 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Sep 29 | vs. South Carolina State | W 50–10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 22 | vs.Texas A&M | W 30–24 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 29 | vs.Missouri | L 10–23 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov 5 | atVanderbilt | W 38–27 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov 12 | atFlorida | L 6–38 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Nov 19 | vs.Tennessee | W 63–38 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov 26 | atClemson | W 31–30 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2021 South Carolina 1 game
| Date | Opponent | Result | Tkl | Solo | TFL | Sacks | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 4 | vs. Eastern Illinois | W 46–0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Box scores from CollegeFootballData, 2004 on. ✦ postseason; ★ a career high on file.
Before the draft
Played in the 2025 Senior Bowl (American team, won 22–19).
| Drill | Combine 2025 | Combine or pro day 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Height | 6′3⅞″ | |
| Weight | 297 lb | |
| Arm length | 33⅛″ | |
| Hand size | 10¼″ | |
| Wingspan | 80⅞″ | |
| 40-yard dash | 4.99 sW | |
| 10-yard split | 1.67 sW | |
| Vertical jump | 31½″ | |
| Broad jump | 9′4″ | |
| 3-cone drill | 7.70 s | |
| 20-yard shuttle | 4.67 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). Rosters and honors: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).
In the NFL
1 season, 10 games with a stat; latest team: Buffalo Bills.
| Season | Team | G | Tkl | Sacks | Int |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Buffalo Bills | 10 | 16 | 1 | 0 |
Regular seasons, from nflverse (CC BY 4.0). G counts games in which the player recorded a stat.
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