Tyjae Spears with the Tennessee Titans, 2023
With the Tennessee Titans, 2023. Photo: Tennessee Titans, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Running back, Tulane, 2019–⁠22

Tyjae Spears

Number
No. 22
Height
5′10″
Weight
195 lb
Class (2022)
Junior
Hometown
Ponchatoula, LA
Born
Jun 15, 2001, in Ponchatoula, Louisiana

Wikipedia readers: about 2,017 a month over the past year

Tyjae Spears played running back at Tulane (2019–⁠22). The Tennessee Titans took Spears in round 3, No. 81 overall in the 2023 NFL Draft.

At a glance

Best season
1,581
Rushing yards, 2022 (Tulane, 12–⁠2)
Best game
264 yards
At Memphis, week 13, 2021: No. 1 rushing game in FBS that week
National rank
No. 4
In FBS in rushing touchdowns, 2022
Drafted
No. 81
Round 3, 2023 NFL Draft (Tennessee Titans)

Career highs

264rushing yards, career highat Memphis, 20214rushing touchdowns, career highvs. USC, 20226catches, career highat Houston, 202288receiving yards, career highvs. Missouri State, 2019

Honors

Team titles: American champions, 2022

Players of the year, conference and regional honors: Wikipedia’s lists (CC BY-SA), each linked from its honor.

Rushing

Rushing yards, season by season, with his team’s record
SeasonTeamCarYdsAvgTDLong
2019Tulane321926.0152
2020Tulane372757.4242
2021Tulane1298636.7969
2022Tulane2291,5816.91975
Career4272,9116.83175

Receiving

SeasonTeamRecYdsAvgTDLong
2019Tulane513326.6188
2020Tulane23015.0016
2021Tulane191457.6044
2022Tulane2225611.6230
Career4856411.8388

Season lines from CollegeFootballData, regular season and bowls.

On the roster

SeasonTeamNo.PosClassHtWt
2019Tulane22RBYr 1
2020Tulane22RBYr 2
2021Tulane22RBYr 3
2022Tulane22RBJr. (Yr 4)5′10″195

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/playPctileMedianTotalUsageAdj. rush
2019Tulane380.52––19.612%0.19
2020Tulane390.39––15.118%0.21
2021Tulane1410.3693rd (n=277)0.1651.321%0.38
2022Tulane2440.3996th (n=470)0.1494.726%0.40

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). Adjusted pass and rush: EPA per play adjusted for the defenses faced (CollegeFootballData’s WEPA). From CollegeFootballData, 2013 on.

Game by game

2022 Tulane 14 games, 1,581 rushing yards, 19 TD
DateOpponentResultCarYdsTDLongRecRec yds
Sep 3vs.MassachusettsW 42–⁠101257312232
Sep 10vs.Alcorn StateW 52–⁠05809––
Sep 17atKansas StateW 17–⁠1092618––
Sep 24vs.Southern MissL 24–⁠2722114234574
Sep 30atHoustonW 27–⁠241454023685
Oct 8vs.East CarolinaW 24–⁠9165301624
Oct 15atSouth FloridaW 45–⁠3118151275––
Oct 22vs.MemphisW 38–⁠282412512218
Nov 5atTulsaW 27–⁠131415715516
Nov 12vs.UCFL 31–⁠38813007019
Nov 17vs.SMUW 59–⁠241312124815
Nov 25atCincinnatiW 27–⁠2435181225117
Dec 3vs.UCFW 45–⁠282219916012
Jan 2 ✦vs.USCW 46–⁠4517205462114
2021 Tulane 12 games, 863 rushing yards, 9 TD
DateOpponentResultCarYdsTDLongRecRec yds
Sep 4atOklahomaL 35–⁠4062001136
Sep 11vs.Morgan StateW 69–⁠201616144
Sep 18atOle MissL 21–⁠6161505––
Sep 25vs.UABL 21–⁠28280614
Oct 2atEast CarolinaL 29–⁠524205213
Oct 7vs.HoustonL 22–⁠405651391−1
Oct 21atSMUL 26–⁠551485120––
Oct 30vs.CincinnatiL 12–⁠3119106147117
Nov 6atUCFL 10–⁠141577120535
Nov 13vs.TulsaL 13–⁠2014104038313
Nov 20vs.South FloridaW 45–⁠141311126917
Nov 27atMemphisL 28–⁠333026425717
2020 Tulane 3 games, 275 rushing yards, 2 TD
DateOpponentResultCarYdsTDLongRecRec yds
Sep 12atSouth AlabamaW 27–⁠2411106041230
Sep 19vs.NavyL 24–⁠2718119042––
Sep 26atSouthern MissW 66–⁠24850215––
2019 Tulane 4 games, 192 rushing yards, 1 TD
DateOpponentResultCarYdsTDLongRecRec yds
Aug 29vs.Florida InternationalW 42–⁠1421206––
Sep 14vs.Missouri StateW 58–⁠6889152188
Oct 26atNavyL 38–⁠41126001514
Nov 30atSMUL 20–⁠37103107341

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

Before the draft

Played in the 2023 Senior Bowl (American team, lost 10–⁠27).

DrillCombine 2023Combine or pro day 2023
Height5′9⅝″
Weight201 lb
Arm length30¾″
Hand size10″
Wingspan74⅛″W
40-yard dash4.54 s
10-yard split1.57 sW
Vertical jump39″
Broad jump10′5″
Bench press18 reps
3-cone drill7.27 s
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). Rosters and honors: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).

In the NFL

4 seasons, 47 games with a stat; latest team: Tennessee Titans.

SeasonTeamGCarYdsTDRecRec yds
2023Tennessee Titans17100453252385
2024Tennessee Titans1284312430224
2025Tennessee Titans1372283245264
2026 (so far)Tennessee Titans5176501468
NFL career472731,1138141941

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

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