Defensive back, Purdue (from Old Dominion, Memphis), 2021–25
Tahj Ra-El
- Number
- No. 21
- Height
- 6′2″
- Weight
- 208 lb
- Class (2025)
- Senior
- Hometown
- Charlotte, NC
Tahj Ra-El played defensive back at Old Dominion (2021–23), Memphis (2024) and Purdue (2025).
Career highs
15tackles, career highvs. Rutgers, 2025Defense
| Season | Team | Tkl | Solo | TFL | Sacks | Int | PD | Hur |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Old Dominion | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2022 | Old Dominion | 40 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | Old Dominion | 84 | 41 | 5.5 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 1 |
| 2024 | Memphis | 18 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | Purdue | 110 | 63 | 2.5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Career | 260 | 132 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 12 | 1 | |
Season lines from CollegeFootballData, regular season and bowls. A dash: the source has no number for that season (often an FCS season), and career totals count only the numbers on file.
On the roster
| Season | Team | No. | Pos | Class | Ht | Wt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Old Dominion | 21 | DB | Yr 1 | ||
| 2022 | Old Dominion | 21 | DB | Yr 2 | ||
| 2023 | Old Dominion | 21 | DB | Yr 3 | ||
| 2024 | Memphis | 21 | DB | Yr 4 | ||
| 2025 | Purdue | 21 | DB | Sr. (Yr 5) | 6′2″ | 208 |
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
2025 Purdue 12 games, 110 tackles
| Date | Opponent | Result | Tkl | Solo | TFL | Sacks | Int | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 30 | vs. Ball State | W 31–0 | 7 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 6 | vs. Southern Illinois | W 34–17 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 13 | vs. USC | L 17–33 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 20 | at Notre Dame | L 30–56 | 9 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 4 | vs. Illinois | L 27–43 | 9 | 1 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 11 | at Minnesota | L 20–27 | 7 | 4 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Oct 18 | at Northwestern | L 0–19 | 11 | 2 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Oct 25 | vs. Rutgers | L 24–27 | 15 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov 1 | at Michigan | L 16–21 | 13 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov 8 | vs. Ohio State | L 10–34 | 10 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Nov 15 | at Washington | L 13–49 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov 28 | vs. Indiana | L 3–56 | 12 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2024 Memphis 3 games, 18 tackles, 1 INT
| Date | Opponent | Result | Tkl | Solo | TFL | Sacks | Int | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 14 | at Florida State | W 20–12 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Sep 21 | at Navy | L 44–56 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 28 | vs. Middle Tennessee | W 24–7 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2023 Old Dominion 13 games, 84 tackles, 1 INT
| Date | Opponent | Result | Tkl | Solo | TFL | Sacks | Int | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 2 | at Virginia Tech | L 17–36 | 11 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Sep 9 | vs. Louisiana | W 38–31 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 16 | vs. Wake Forest | L 24–27 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Sep 23 | vs. East Texas A&M | W 10–9 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 30 | at Marshall | L 35–41 | 12 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 7 | at Southern Miss | W 17–13 | 4 | 1 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Oct 21 | vs. App State | W 28–21 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 28 | at James Madison | L 27–30 | 10 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov 4 | vs. Coastal Carolina | L 24–28 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Nov 11 | at Liberty | L 10–38 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov 18 | at Georgia Southern | W 20–17 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov 25 | vs. Georgia State | W 25–24 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dec 18 ✦ | vs. Western Kentucky | L 35–38 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
2022 Old Dominion 11 games, 40 tackles
| Date | Opponent | Result | Tkl | Solo | TFL | Sacks | Int | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 2 | vs.Virginia Tech | W 20–17 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 10 | at East Carolina | L 21–39 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 17 | at Virginia | L 14–16 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 24 | vs. Arkansas State | W 29–26 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 15 | atCoastal Carolina | W 49–21 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 22 | vs.Georgia Southern | L 23–28 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 29 | atGeorgia State | L 17–31 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov 5 | vs.Marshall | L 0–12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov 12 | vs.James Madison | L 3–37 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov 19 | atApp State | L 14–27 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov 26 | at South Alabama | L 20–27 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2021 Old Dominion 5 games, 8 tackles
| Date | Opponent | Result | Tkl | Solo | TFL | Sacks | Int | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 11 | vs. Hampton | W 47–7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 16 | vs.Western Kentucky | L 20–43 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Oct 30 | vs. Louisiana Tech | W 23–20 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov 20 | atMiddle Tennessee | W 24–17 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dec 20 ✦ | vs. Tulsa | L 17–30 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Box scores from CollegeFootballData, 2004 on. ✦ postseason; ★ a career high on file.
Before the draft
| Drill | Pro day 2026 |
|---|---|
| Height | 6′1⅛″ |
| Weight | 206 lb |
| Arm length | 31½″ |
| Hand size | 9¼″ |
| 40-yard dash | 4.58 s |
| 10-yard split | 1.63 s |
| Vertical jump | 33½″ |
| Broad jump | 9′9″ |
| Bench press | 12 reps |
| 3-cone drill | 7.20 s |
| 20-yard shuttle | 4.24 s |
Combine and pro day results compiled by array-carpenter (nfl-draft-data).
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