
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
Career highs
264rushing yards, career highat Memphis, 20214rushing touchdowns, career highvs. USC, 20226catches, career highat Houston, 202288receiving yards, career highvs. Missouri State, 2019Honors
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
Receiving
Season lines from CollegeFootballData, regular season and bowls.
On the roster
| Season | Team | No. | Pos | Class | Ht | Wt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Tulane | 22 | RB | Yr 1 | ||
| 2020 | Tulane | 22 | RB | Yr 2 | ||
| 2021 | Tulane | 22 | RB | Yr 3 | ||
| 2022 | Tulane | 22 | RB | Jr. (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
| Season | Team | Plays | EPA/play | Pctile | Median | Total | Usage | Adj. rush |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Tulane | 38 | 0.52 | – | – | 19.6 | 12% | 0.19 |
| 2020 | Tulane | 39 | 0.39 | – | – | 15.1 | 18% | 0.21 |
| 2021 | Tulane | 141 | 0.36 | 93rd (n=277) | 0.16 | 51.3 | 21% | 0.38 |
| 2022 | Tulane | 244 | 0.39 | 96th (n=470) | 0.14 | 94.7 | 26% | 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
| Date | Opponent | Result | Car | Yds | TD | Long | Rec | Rec yds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 3 | vs. | W 42–10 | 12 | 57 | 3 | 12 | 2 | 32 |
| Sep 10 | vs. | W 52–0 | 5 | 8 | 0 | 9 | – | – |
| Sep 17 | at | W 17–10 | 9 | 26 | 1 | 8 | – | – |
| Sep 24 | vs. | L 24–27 | 22 | 114 | 2 | 34 | 5 | 74 |
| Sep 30 | at | W 27–24 | 14 | 54 | 0 | 23 | 6 | 85 |
| Oct 8 | vs. | W 24–9 | 16 | 53 | 0 | 16 | 2 | 4 |
| Oct 15 | at | W 45–31 | 18 | 151 | 2 | 75 | – | – |
| Oct 22 | vs. | W 38–28 | 24 | 125 | 1 | 22 | 1 | 8 |
| Nov 5 | at | W 27–13 | 14 | 157 | 1 | 55 | 1 | 6 |
| Nov 12 | vs. | L 31–38 | 8 | 130 | 0 | 70 | 1 | 9 |
| Nov 17 | vs. | W 59–24 | 13 | 121 | 2 | 48 | 1 | 5 |
| Nov 25 | at | W 27–24 | 35 | 181 | 2 | 25 | 1 | 17 |
| Dec 3 | vs. | W 45–28 | 22 | 199 | 1 | 60 | 1 | 2 |
| Jan 2 ✦ | vs. | W 46–45 | 17 | 205 | 4 | 62 | 1 | 14 |
2021 Tulane 12 games, 863 rushing yards, 9 TD
| Date | Opponent | Result | Car | Yds | TD | Long | Rec | Rec yds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 4 | at | L 35–40 | 6 | 20 | 0 | 11 | 3 | 6 |
| Sep 11 | vs. | W 69–20 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 44 |
| Sep 18 | at | L 21–61 | 6 | 15 | 0 | 5 | – | – |
| Sep 25 | vs. | L 21–28 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 4 |
| Oct 2 | at | L 29–52 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 13 |
| Oct 7 | vs. | L 22–40 | 5 | 65 | 1 | 39 | 1 | −1 |
| Oct 21 | at | L 26–55 | 14 | 85 | 1 | 20 | – | – |
| Oct 30 | vs. | L 12–31 | 19 | 106 | 1 | 47 | 1 | 17 |
| Nov 6 | at | L 10–14 | 15 | 77 | 1 | 20 | 5 | 35 |
| Nov 13 | vs. | L 13–20 | 14 | 104 | 0 | 38 | 3 | 13 |
| Nov 20 | vs. | W 45–14 | 13 | 111 | 2 | 69 | 1 | 7 |
| Nov 27 | at | L 28–33 | 30 | 264 | 2 | 57 | 1 | 7 |
2020 Tulane 3 games, 275 rushing yards, 2 TD
| Date | Opponent | Result | Car | Yds | TD | Long | Rec | Rec yds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 12 | at | W 27–24 | 11 | 106 | 0 | 41 | 2 | 30 |
| Sep 19 | vs. | L 24–27 | 18 | 119 | 0 | 42 | – | – |
| Sep 26 | at | W 66–24 | 8 | 50 | 2 | 15 | – | – |
2019 Tulane 4 games, 192 rushing yards, 1 TD
| Date | Opponent | Result | Car | Yds | TD | Long | Rec | Rec yds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 29 | vs. | W 42–14 | 2 | 12 | 0 | 6 | – | – |
| Sep 14 | vs. | W 58–6 | 8 | 89 | 1 | 52 | 1 | 88 |
| Oct 26 | at | L 38–41 | 12 | 60 | 0 | 15 | 1 | 4 |
| Nov 30 | at | L 20–37 | 10 | 31 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 41 |
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).
| Drill | Combine 2023 | Combine or pro day 2023 |
|---|---|---|
| Height | 5′9⅝″ | |
| Weight | 201 lb | |
| Arm length | 30¾″ | |
| Hand size | 10″ | |
| Wingspan | 74⅛″W | |
| 40-yard dash | 4.54 s | |
| 10-yard split | 1.57 sW | |
| Vertical jump | 39″ | |
| Broad jump | 10′5″ | |
| Bench press | 18 reps | |
| 3-cone drill | 7.27 s | |
| 20-yard shuttle | 4.32 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.
| Season | Team | G | Car | Yds | TD | Rec | Rec yds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Tennessee Titans | 17 | 100 | 453 | 2 | 52 | 385 |
| 2024 | Tennessee Titans | 12 | 84 | 312 | 4 | 30 | 224 |
| 2025 | Tennessee Titans | 13 | 72 | 283 | 2 | 45 | 264 |
| 2026 (so far) | Tennessee Titans | 5 | 17 | 65 | 0 | 14 | 68 |
| NFL career | 47 | 273 | 1,113 | 8 | 141 | 941 | |
Regular seasons, from nflverse (CC BY 4.0). G counts games in which the player recorded a stat.
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