T. J. Yeldon facts for kids
Yeldon in 2011
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| Position: | Running back | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born: | October 2, 1993 Daphne, Alabama, U.S. |
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| Height: | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||||||||||
| Weight: | 223 lb (101 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school: | Daphne | ||||||||||||
| College: | Alabama (2012–2014) | ||||||||||||
| NFL Draft: | 2015 / Round: 2 / Pick: 36 | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||
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| Player stats at PFR | |||||||||||||
Timothy Antonio "T. J." Yeldon Jr. (born October 2, 1993) is an American former professional football player. He played as a running back in the National Football League (NFL). The Jacksonville Jaguars picked him in the second round of the 2015 NFL draft. Before that, he played college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide.
Contents
Early Life and High School Football
T. J. Yeldon grew up in Daphne, Alabama. He went to Daphne High School, where he was a star in both football and track. He started playing varsity football as a freshman in 2008. He played as a slot receiver and helped out on special teams.
High School Achievements
As a freshman, Yeldon gained 227 rushing yards. He also scored one touchdown by running and another by catching the ball. In his second year, he ran for 1,121 yards and caught 34 passes. He helped his team win a big playoff game against C. J. Mosley's team.
In his junior year, Yeldon ran for 1,112 yards and 18 touchdowns. He also caught 34 passes for 504 yards and five touchdowns. His team, Daphne, had a perfect 15–0 season. They won the 2010 Alabama 6A State Championship. They beat Hoover Buccaneers, who had won 21 games in a row. Yeldon scored the winning touchdown in that championship game.
During his senior year, Yeldon rushed for 2,193 yards and 31 touchdowns. He won the Alabama Mr. Football Award. He was the first running back to win this award since Cadillac Williams in 2000. He was also named an All-State player and a second-team All-American.
Track and Field
Besides football, Yeldon was also on the school's track team. He ran sprints and competed in jumping events. He ran the 100 meters in 11.35 seconds. He also had a personal best long jump of 6.08 meters.
College Choices
Experts saw Yeldon as a top football player. Rivals.com ranked him as the second-best running back in his group. Many top colleges wanted him, like Florida and Oregon. In 2011, he first said he would go to Auburn. But later, he changed his mind and decided to go to Alabama. He enrolled at Alabama in January 2012.
College Career at Alabama
T. J. Yeldon played for the Alabama Crimson Tide from 2012 to 2014.
Freshman Season (2012)
As a freshman in 2012, Yeldon played in all 14 games. He shared playing time with Eddie Lacy. In his very first college game, he ran for 111 yards and scored a touchdown. He had his best game of the year against Georgia. He rushed for 153 yards in the 2012 SEC Championship Game.
Alabama won the 2013 BCS Championship Game against Notre Dame. Yeldon ran for 110 yards and scored one touchdown in that big game. He finished his freshman season with 1,108 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns. His 1,108 rushing yards set a new record for an Alabama freshman. His 12 touchdowns tied another freshman record.
Sophomore Season (2013)
After Eddie Lacy went to the NFL, Yeldon became Alabama's main running back in 2013. He started 11 out of 12 games, missing one due to an injury. He led the team with 1,235 yards on 207 carries. He also scored 14 touchdowns. He was named a first-team All-Southeastern Conference (SEC) player.
Junior Season (2014)
In his junior season in 2014, Yeldon shared carries with Derrick Henry. He played in 13 games. He rushed for 979 yards on 194 carries and scored 11 touchdowns. After this season, Yeldon decided to leave college early. He chose to enter the 2015 NFL draft.
College Statistics
| Season | Team | Rushing | Receiving | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Rec | Yds | TD | ||
| 2012 | Alabama | 175 | 1,108 | 6.3 | 43 | 12 | 11 | 131 | 1 |
| 2013 | Alabama | 207 | 1,235 | 6.0 | 68 | 14 | 20 | 183 | 0 |
| 2014 | Alabama | 194 | 979 | 5.0 | 31 | 11 | 15 | 180 | 1 |
| Career | 576 | 3,322 | 5.8 | 68 | 37 | 46 | 494 | 2 | |
Professional Career
T. J. Yeldon was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2015. He was the 36th player picked overall.
Jacksonville Jaguars (2015–2018)
On May 27, 2015, Yeldon signed a four-year contract with the Jaguars. His coach, Gus Bradley, named him the starting running back.
2015 Season Highlights
Yeldon played his first NFL game on September 13, 2015. He ran for 51 yards and caught three passes. In his next game, he carried the ball 25 times for 70 yards. On October 11, he scored his first NFL touchdown by catching a pass.
He missed a game in Week 6 because of a groin injury. When he returned, he had a great game against the Buffalo Bills. He rushed for 115 yards and scored his first rushing touchdown. Later in the season, he got an MCL sprain that kept him out of another game.
2016 Season
Yeldon continued to play for the Jaguars in 2016. In the first game, he ran for 39 yards and scored a touchdown. For the whole season, he had 465 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown. He also caught 50 passes for 312 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown. He was placed on the injured reserve list in December 2016.
2017 Season
Yeldon did not play in the first six weeks of the 2017 season. But in Week 7, he got a chance to play because another player was injured. He rushed for 122 yards, including a long 58-yard touchdown run. The Jaguars won that game 27–0.
He finished the regular season with 253 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns. He also caught 30 passes for 224 receiving yards. The Jaguars won their division and made the playoffs. In the playoffs, he scored a rushing touchdown against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Jaguars won that game. They later lost to the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship game.
2018 Season
Yeldon started the 2018 season with a receiving touchdown against the New York Giants. He had a bigger role early in the season because Leonard Fournette was injured. In Week 4, he scored both a rushing and a receiving touchdown against the New York Jets. In the next game, he gained 122 total yards and scored another receiving touchdown.
He finished the 2018 season with 414 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown. He also had 55 catches for 487 receiving yards and four receiving touchdowns.
Buffalo Bills (2019–2020)
On April 22, 2019, Yeldon signed a two-year contract with the Buffalo Bills. In the 2019 season, he played in six games. He had 63 rushing yards and 124 receiving yards.
In 2020, Yeldon played in three games for the Bills. He ran for 70 yards and caught a 22-yard touchdown pass.
NFL Career Statistics
| Year | Team | Games | Rushing | Receiving | Fumbles | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Fum | Lost | ||
| 2015 | JAX | 12 | 12 | 182 | 740 | 4.1 | 45 | 2 | 36 | 279 | 7.8 | 67 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2016 | JAX | 15 | 13 | 130 | 465 | 3.6 | 16 | 1 | 50 | 312 | 6.2 | 17 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 2017 | JAX | 10 | 0 | 49 | 253 | 5.2 | 58T | 2 | 30 | 224 | 7.5 | 20 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| 2018 | JAX | 14 | 5 | 104 | 414 | 4.0 | 20 | 1 | 55 | 487 | 8.9 | 37 | 4 | 1 | 1 |
| 2019 | BUF | 6 | 17 | 63 | 3.7 | 12 | 0 | 13 | 124 | 9.5 | 37 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| 2020 | BUF | 3 | 0 | 10 | 70 | 7.0 | 34 | 0 | 1 | 22 | 22.0 | 22 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Career | 60 | 30 | 492 | 2,005 | 4.1 | 58 | 6 | 185 | 1,448 | 7.8 | 67 | 7 | 7 | 4 | |
Personal Life
T. J. Yeldon is a distant cousin of Pat White. Pat White was a quarterback for the West Virginia Mountaineers.
