2019 Football Roster
Roster
Erik Ezukanma
- Position:
- Wide Receiver
- Height:
- 6-3
- Weight:
- 210
- Class:
- Redshirt Freshman
- Hometown:
- Fort Worth, Texas
- High School:
- Timber Creek
2021 SEASON (JUNIOR)
Closed his Red Raider career as Texas Tech’s leading receiver for a third-consecutive season … became first Red Raider since Wayne Walker from 1985-87 to lead the team in receiving yards over three-straight seasons … did so despite starting and playing in 11 of 13 games overall … closed the season with 48 catches for 705 yards and four touchdowns, while also rushing 10 times for 138 yards and a pair of scores … did not previously have a rushing attempt prior to the season … frequent target to get the ball in his hands either in the passing game or on the ground … his 48 receptions marked the most in his career and led the team … averaged 64.1 yards per game and 14.7 yards per reception … targeted a total of 74 times, which led the team, while completing 63.5 of those attempts … had three games with at least 100 receiving yards … led the team with 28 catches of at least 10 yards, nine grabs that went at least 20 yards and seven receptions of 30 or more yards … named to the team captains circle prior to the season in a vote of his teammates ... CAREER NUMBERS: closed his collegiate career with 138 catches for 2,165 yards and 15 touchdowns over 35 games … became only the 15th Red Raider since 2000 to record at least 2,000 receiving yards in a career … IN BIG 12 RANKINGS: was sixth in the league for both receiving yards (705) and receiving yards per game (6.1) and then eighth for receptions per game (4.4) and yards per reception (14.7) … was also tied for 13th in receiving touchdowns (4) … closed the year tied for third in catches of at least 30 yards (7) and receptions that went 50 yards or longer (3) … SEASON HIGHLIGHTS: opened the year with one of the more memorable outings of his career, catching seven passes for 179 yards in the come-from-behind win over Houston (9/4) … wrapped the game only four receiving yards shy of his career high … marked the third 100-yard performance of his career at the time … was the FBS leader in receiving yards after the first complete week of the college football season … hit the 100-yard mark again the following week with six catches for 143 yards and a touchdown versus Stephen F. Austin (9/11) … found the end zone via a 75-yard touchdown strike from Tyler Shough on Texas Tech’s opening drive … marked the longest reception of his career … closed non-conference play with three catches for 28 yards against Florida International (9/18) … started Big 12 play with seven catches for 56 yards at Texas (9/25) before leaving the game in the second half due to injury … missed the entire West Virginia trip (10/2) due to injury, returning the following week at TCU (10/9) … caught three passes for 23 yards while rushing once for 16 yards versus the Horned Frogs … hauled in five catches for 76 yards through the air at Kansas (10/16) … carried two times for 13 yards in the win as well, scoring on a nine-yard scamper to give the Red Raiders a 17-0 lead midway through the second quarter … found the end zone via the run game again the next week versus Kansas State (10/23), taking an end-around 45 yards for a touchdown … set a career high with eight receptions at Oklahoma (10/30), which totaled 123 yards and a touchdown … tied the game late in the first quarter on a 17-yard touchdown grab from Henry Colombi … followed with four catches for 54 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the win over Iowa State (11/13) … two touchdowns came on back-to-back drives in the second quarter, coming from 3 and 18 yards out from quarterback Donovan Smith … was the second multi-touchdown game of his career … also rushed twice for the fourth-consecutive game, totaling 32 yards overall … closed his Red Raider career with two catches for six yards against Oklahoma State (11/20) and then two grabs for 14 yards and a rush for 24 yards at Baylor (11/27) … elected not to play in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl after declaring for the 2022 NFL Draft … AWARDS AND HONORS: recognized on the All-Big 12 second team by the conference coaches … became first Red Raider wide receiver to garner first or second team accolades in consecutive seasons since the great Michael Crabtree in 2007-08 … preseason candidate for the Biletnikoff Award and the Maxwell Award … 2022 NFL DRAFT: elected to forego his remaining eligibility to enter the 2022 NFL Draft … selected to participate in the 2022 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis ... picked with the 125th overall selection (fourth round) by the Miami Dolphins, becoming the sixth Red Raider all-time to be drafted by the organization ... will play under position coach Wes Welker, another Red Raider great now with the Dolphins organization ... became first Red Raider wide receiver to be drafted since Keke Coutee and Dylan Cantrell were both selected in 2018.
2020 SEAS0N (SOPHOMORE)
Developed into one of the Big 12’s top wide receivers as only a sophomore … became the first Red Raider to lead the team in receiving yards in back-to-back years since Jakeem Grant in 2014-15 … was the first Red Raider underclassman to do so since Michael Crabtree in 2007-08 … started in all 10 games during the season … caught 46 passes for 748 yards and six touchdowns on the year … was the team leader in receiving yards, receiving touchdowns, receiving yards per game and yards per catch … made at least two receptions in all 10 games and had four of more catches seven times … posted one 100-yard game at Oklahoma State and had six others with at least 60 yards through the air … averaged an impressive 16.3 yards per catch, his highest among his two full seasons … easily led the team with 12 plays of 20 yards or longer … had twice as many plays of at least 20 yards than both SaRodorick Thompson and Chadarius Townsend, who both ranked tied for second on the team … IN NCAA RANKINGS: closed the year ranked 31st in the FBS for receiving yards, 47th in receiving touchdowns, 49th in receiving yards per game and 66th in yards per reception … IN BIG 12 RANKINGS: was second in the league for receiving yards per game, third in receiving yards, fourth in receiving touchdowns, fifth in receptions per game, sixth in yards per reception and ninth in all-purpose yards per game … SEASON HIGHLIGHTS: began the season with four catches for 66 yards and a touchdown versus Houston Baptist (9/12) … had the first touchdown of the season on a seven-yard strike from Alan Bowman to close the Red Raiders’ opening drive … came close to the 100-yard mark in the Big 12 opener against Texas (9/26) after matching his career high with seven receptions, resulting in 91 yards and a touchdown … pulled the Red Raiders to a 24-21 deficit with 4:44 remaining in the second quarter following a 19-yard touchdown grab from Bowman … marked his fifth-straight game with a touchdown dating back to the 2019 season, the longest streak since Keke Coutee also found the end zone over five-consecutive games during the 2016-17 seasons … streak was snapped following his five catches and 77 yards at Kansas State (10/3) … found the end zone again the next week at Iowa State (10/10), finishing with five catches for 61 yards and a score … touchdown came late in the fourth quarter on an 18-yard streak from Henry Colombi … on the receiving end of four catches for 47 yards in the win over West Virginia (10/24) … matched his career high with seven grabs for 88 yards against Oklahoma (10/31) … recorded his longest catch of his career at TCU (11/7), hauling in a 57-yard scoring grab early in the fourth quarter … was the third-longest reception by a Red Raider on the season … was part of three catches for 60 yards and a touchdown in the game … followed with two catches for 55 yards in the win over Baylor (11/14) … put together the best game of his career at Oklahoma State (11/28) with seven catches for 183 yards and a pair of touchdowns … was the second 100-yard performance and the first multi-touchdown performance of his career … had two receptions of 40 or more yards in the game, which began on a 3rd-and-10 play early in the second quarter … later caught a throwback pass from Alan Bowman and raced into the end zone for a 48-yard touchdown midway through the third quarter … closed the season with two catches for 20 yards against Kansas (12/5) … AWARDS AND HONORS: All-Big 12 first team honoree by the conference coaches, the Associated Press and Phil Steele Magazine … became first Red Raider wide receiver to garner first team All-Big 12 accolades by the conference coaches since Michael Crabtree in 2008 … Crabtree was a sophomore that season as well … joined his position coach Joel Filani as one of five Red Raider wide receivers to collect first team honors during the Big 12 era (Crabtree, Filani, Jarrett Hicks, Mickey Peters) recognized on the Dave Campbell’s All-Texas first team … named to the Biletnikoff Award watch list late in the season.
2019 SEASON (REDSHIRT FRESHMAN)
Emerged late in his debut season as one of Texas Tech’s top offensive weapons … member of Texas Tech’s captain circle as one of three freshmen representatives … became the first Red Raider since two-time Biletnikoff Award winner Michael Crabtree in 2007 to lead the team in receiving yards as only a freshman … appeared in all 12 games with six starts as an outside receiver … led the team with 664 receiving yards, the majority of which came during Big 12 play … ranked tied for second on the team for receptions (42) and third in touchdown receptions (4) … averaged 15.8 yards per catch, the highest clip among receivers with at least 20 receptions … led the team with 13 plays (all receptions) of 25 yards or longer ... was easily the team leader, in fact, with six more plays that went at least 25 yards than any other Red Raider ... SEASON HIGHLIGHTS: combined for only eight catches and 75 over the first four games of the season … hauled in four passes for 29 yards against Montana State (8/31), three passes for 27 yards at Arizona (9/14) and one pass for 19 yards at Oklahoma (9/28) … delivered first big performance of the season in win over Oklahoma State (10/5), collecting three receptions for 92 yards and a touchdown … outing included a 56-yard touchdown strike midway through the fourth quarter that gave the Red Raiders a 45-21 lead … followed with four catches for 63 yards at Baylor (10/12) … set a career high with seven catches against Iowa State (10/19), resulting in 62 yards … limited to only one catch for seven yards at Kansas (10/26) … responded with five catches for 70 yards in win at West Virginia (11/9) … recorded a touchdown reception in each of the final three games of the season … stretch began with four catches for 91 yards and a touchdown versus TCU (11/16) … helped the Red Raiders take a 28-27 lead late in the third quarter on a 33-yard scoring strike … also had a 51-yard reception in the game … closed the home slate with three catches for 69 yards and a touchdown against Kansas State (11/23) … touchdown pass came on a 21-yard strike late in the third quarter that pulled the Red Raiders to a 20-17 deficit … saved best performance of his young career for at Texas (11/29), matching his career high with seven receptions while setting a new mark with 135 receiving yards … marked first 100-yard performance of his career … gave the Red Raiders a 21-14 lead midway through the second quarter off a 24-yard touchdown strike.
2018 SEASON (FRESHMAN)
Redshirt season … appeared in two games as a true freshman … finished the season with two catches for 48 yards and a touchdown … caught one pass for four yards in the season opener against Ole Miss in Houston (9/1) … scored the first touchdown of his career on a 44-yard strike from Colt Garrett a week later against Lamar (9/8) … member of Texas Tech’s travel squad for majority of the season.
HIGH SCHOOL
Attended Timber Creek High School in Fort Worth, Texas ... inked with Texas Tech as one of the top wideouts in the 2018 class ... recorded 2,471 receiving yards and 32 touchdowns during his three-year career at Timber Creek ... also rushed for 383 yards and four touchdowns during that time ... jumped on the scene nationally with 1,447 receiving yards and 20 touchdowns his junior season ... added all of his career rushing totals that season as well ... named to the MaxPreps Junior All-America Team following junior campaign ... added 750 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns as a senior ... nominated for the 2018 U.S. Army All-American Game ... consensus four-star prospect by Rivals, ESPN and 247Sports ... ranked as the No. 53 wide receiver in the 2018 class by 247Sports ... was the No. 52 wide receiver in the country by Rivals ... listed as the No. 44 overall player in the state of Texas by Rivals ... CHOSE TEXAS TECH OVER: Arkansas, Houston, Kansas, Missouri, Ole Miss, SMU, TCU, Texas A&M, Utah, Washington State and Wisconsin.
PERSONAL
Erik Ezukanma ... son of Lawrette Ezukanma ... one of seven siblings ... a sport management major at Texas Tech.
CAREER HIGHS
Points Scored: 12, twice, vs. Iowa State (2021)*
Receptions: 8, at Oklahoma (2021)
Receiving Yards: 183, at Oklahoma State (2020)
Receiving Touchdowns: 2, twice, vs. Iowa State (2021)*
Long Reception: 75, vs. Stephen F. Austin (2021)
All-Purpose Yards: 183, at Oklahoma State (2020)
Rush Attempts: 2, four times, vs. Iowa State (2021)
Rushing Yards: 45, vs. Kansas State (2021)
Rushing Touchdowns: 1, twice, vs. Kansas State (2021)*
* Indicates most recent high
I control the effort I will put in every day to make myself better and make my team better. ????
— Eazy-E® (@erikezukanma) May 14, 2020
????: https://t.co/P7kdFPseWS pic.twitter.com/THeOJ9RgrF
