Ja'Tavion Sanders
Ja'Tavion Sanders (born March 27, 2003) is an American football tight end for the Texas Longhorns.
Texas Longhorns – No. 0 | |
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Position | Tight end |
Class | Junior |
Major | Physical Culture and Sports |
Personal information | |
Born: | March 27, 2003 |
Height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
Weight | 243 lb (110 kg) |
Career history | |
College |
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High school | Billy Ryan High School (Denton, Texas) |
Career highlights and awards | |
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Early life and high school
Sanders grew up in Denton, Texas and attended Billy Ryan High School, where he played basketball and was a wide receiver and defensive end on the football team.[1] He was named first team All-District 4-5A Division 1 at defensive end after recording 39 tackles, 20 tackles for loss, 11 sacks, two forced fumbles, and three passes broken up while also catching 47 passes for 763 yards and 7 touchdowns on offense.[2] Sanders had 63 receptions for 1,161 yards and 16 touchdown receptions with three rushing touchdowns while also recording four sacks and an interception on offense and was named the co-MVP of District 5-5A Division 1.[3][4] Sanders was rated a five-star recruit as an athlete and committed to play college football at Texas over offers from Alabama, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, and Texas A&M.[5]
College career
Sanders joined the Texas Longhorns as an early enrollee in 2021 and played on both offense and defense during preseason practices.[6] The team's coaching staff ultimately decided that he would play tight end.[7] Sanders played in all 12 of the Texas's games during his freshman season, primarily on special teams.[8] Sanders entered his sophomore season as the Longhorns' primary tight end after transfer Jahleel Billingsley was suspended for the team's first six games.[9][10] After his sophomore year, Sanders was named first team All-Big 12.
References
- "Former Ryan standout Ja'Tavion Sanders makes list of breakout candidates". Denton Record-Chronicle. August 25, 2022. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
- Griffin, Cami (February 27, 2020). "Texas football now has a five-star commit in 2021 recruiting class". Longhorns Wire. USA Today. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
- "Texas Longhorns: Ja'Tavion Sanders up to coach's challenge". Houston Chronicle. August 10, 2022. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
- Hall, Jeff (August 8, 2021). "Longhorns working hard to get Ja'Tavion Sanders 'up to speed' in fall camp". 247Sports.com. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
- "Denton Ryan's Ja'Tavion Sanders commits to Texas, joining fellow four-star teammate Billy Bowman Jr". The Dallas Morning News. September 8, 2019. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
- "Texas freshmen Ja'Tavion Sanders, Xavier Worthy already showing flashes". San Antonio Express-News. August 10, 2021. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
- "Texas spring breakout candidates: Versatile Ja'tavion Sanders to settle into role as tight end". The Dallas Morning News. March 24, 2022. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
- Golden, Cedric (October 6, 2022). "Ja'Tavion Sanders could be next great Red River tight end". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
- "Texas has been waiting for a tight end like Ja'Tavion Sanders". Houston Chronicle. October 4, 2022. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
- Dimmitt, Zach (October 11, 2022). "Steve Sarkisian Reveals Longhorns TE Plan for Ja'Tavion Sanders & Jahleel Billingsley". SI.com. Retrieved October 16, 2022.