2021 Football Roster
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Tharp, Mason
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Jersey Number 80
Mason Tharp
- Position:
- Tight End
- Height:
- 6-9
- Weight:
- 250
- Class:
- Freshman
- Hometown:
- Klein, Texas
- High School:
- Klein
Bio
2024 SEASON (SENIOR)
Concluded his Red Raider by appearing in all 13 games with 11 starts as a senior … only two missed starts came against Baylor and in the regular-season finale versus West Virginia … catalyst in the run game who was credited with Texas Tech’s success in Tahj Brooks becoming the school’s all-time leading rusher … large frame allowed for greater success in run blocking for Brooks, who became the first Red Raider in history to rush for 1,500 yards in consecutive seasons … utilized in the passing game with 13 catches for 138 yards and two touchdowns … both touchdown catches came late during Big 12 play … of his 13 catches, four came on third down conversions and led to either a Texas Tech field goal (1) or touchdown (3) … rounded out his four-year career as a Red Raider with 57 catches for 614 yards and nine touchdowns … made at least one catch in 10 or 13 games and seven times overall during Big 12 play … credited with 514 offensive snaps according to Pro Football Focus, which led the tight end room … received a 71.8 grade as a run blocker by PFF that ranked second among regular offensive starters … inserted for 40 or more snaps in eight different contests and played in at least 20 snaps in all but one contests (Colorado) … SEASON HIGHLIGHTS: combined for two catches during non-conference play with one for nine yards versus Abilene Christian (8/31) and one for a negative one-yard loss at Washington State (9/7) … had catches for 12, 16 and nine yards over the first three games in Big 12 play against Arizona State (9/21), Cincinnati (9/28) and at Arizona (10/5) … his reception versus Arizona State converted a 3rd-and-10 in the red zone, setting up a Jalin Conyers’ three-yard touchdown run two plays later to give Texas Tech a 24-10 lead after its first drive of the third quarter … converted another key third down the next week versus Cincinnati, moving the sticks on 3rd-and-7 with a 16-yard haul … the Red Raiders needed only three plays from there for a Coy Eakin seven-yard touchdown pass to cut the deficit to 14-10 late in the first quarter … followed with one catch for nine yards at TCU (10/26) before delivering two catches for 18 yards in the road win at Iowa State (11/2) … catch at TCU converted 3rd-and-2, leading to a Gino Garcia 38-yard field goal to get the Red Raiders on the board late in the first quarter … wrapped the regular season with touchdown catches against both Oklahoma State (11/23) and West Virginia (11/30) … finished with two catches for 13 yards at Oklahoma State, finding the end zone on an eight-yard touchdown pass from Behren Morton with 4:04 remaining in the first quarter … connected with Morton again on a 1-yard touchdown pass versus West Virginia as part of two catches for nine yards … touchdown came with 4:19 remaining before halftime to give the Red Raiders a 20-3 lead … ended his Red Raider career with a 44-yard reception in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl versus Arkansas (12/27), marking the longest of his career … catch over the middle pushed the Red Raiders to the Arkansas five-yard line … AWARDS AND HONORS: named to the preseason watch lists for the Reese’s Senior Bowl and the East-West Shrine Bowl.
2023 SEASON (JUNIOR)
Saw action in eight games with seven starts as a junior … missed a five-game stretch during Big 12 play due to injury … managed to catch 18 passes for 178 yards and four touchdowns on the season … ranked tied for second on the team for receiving touchdowns and led the tight room in all receiving categories … his four touchdown catches were one more than his combined total from his previous two seasons … made at least one reception in all eight games and had two or more catches in five different contests … credited with appearing in 355 offensive snaps by Pro Football Focus, which gave him a 70.4 overall grade for the season … targeted 24 times for receptions on the season with 18 of those being completions, which ranked third on the team among those with at least 10 targets … his .750 percentage trailed only the completion rates of fellow tight end Baylor Cupp (91.7) and running back Tahj Brooks (82.4) … graded out at 73.5 as a run blocker by PFF, which led the team among those with 100 offensive snaps … SEASON HIGHLIGHTS: caught one pass for 10 yards in the season opener at Wyoming (9/2) … hauled in a career-high four receptions for 37 yards and a touchdown against Oregon (9/9) … touchdown came via a 7-yard strike from Tyler Shough early in the second quarter … followed with another touchdown catch the next week as part of three receptions for a season-high 43 yards against Tarleton State (9/16) … connected with Shough on a 28-yard touchdown to give the Red Raiders a 21-0 lead with 4:36 remaining in the first quarter … combined for three catches the next two games with one reception for 14 yards at West Virginia (9/23) and two for 16 yards in the win over Houston (9/30) … missed the next five games, however, due to injury … returned against UCF (11/18) for three catches for 32 yards and a key touchdown in the come-from-behind victory … scampered into the end zone on a 19-yard touchdown pass from Behren Morton to tie the game with 3:13 remaining until halftime … received his highest grade of the season versus the Knights with at 83.2 by PFF … had only one catch for four yards in the regular-season finale at Texas (11/24) … found the end zone again in the Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl versus Cal (12/16) as part of three catches for 22 yards … touchdown tied the game early in the second quarter as Morton found him for a 15-yard strike ... AWARDS AND HONORS: recognized on the Academic All-Big 12 second team for a second-consecutive year.
2022 SEASON (SOPHOMORE)
Appeared in 10 games as a sophomore with seven starts … missed each of the final three games of the season due to injury … finished on the receiving end of 12 catches for 100 yards and a pair of touchdowns … shared the high for receptions in the tight end room with Baylor Cupp … had a catch in seven of the 10 games he played … credited with playing in 412 offensive snaps by Pro Football Focus, which led the tight end room … also saw action on special teams, mainly on the field goal protection unit … SEASON HIGHLIGHTS: opened the year with one catch for 21 yards in the season-opening win against Murray State (9/3) … reception went for a touchdown from Behren Morton to cap Texas Tech’s 63-10 victory … matched his career high with three receptions twice on the year at N.C. State (9/17) and versus West Virginia (10/22) … totaled 26 yards through the air against the Wolfpack and then a season-high 35 yards in the win over the Mountaineers … made one catch in three different games against Texas (9/24), at Oklahoma State (10/8) and Baylor (10/29) … lone reception versus Texas was an important one as it went 13 yards, pushing the Red Raiders to the one yard line for a SaRodorick Thompson touchdown that cut the deficit to 31-24 before halftime … last outing of the year came in the win over Kansas (11/12) with two catches for three yards and a touchdown … gave the Red Raiders a 24-7 lead early in the second quarter on a one-yard pass from Tyler Shough … AWARDS AND HONORS: recognized on the Academic All-Big 12 second team.
2021 SEASON (FRESHMAN)
Demonstrated why he was highly-touted out of high school as only a true freshman … appeared in 12 games overall with eight starts at tight end … missed only the win over Iowa State due to injury … seven of his eight starts on the year came either in Big 12 play or in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl … caught 14 passes on the season for 198 yards and a touchdown … finished fifth on the team in receiving yards and sixth for receptions … led all freshmen in both categories as well … targeted 19 times through the passing game, resulting in a 73.7 completion percentage … size radius helped him rank fourth on the team in completion percentage among receivers with at least 10 targets … credited with appearing in 353 snaps on offense, grading out at 74.1 according to Pro Football Focus … that grade ranked eighth on the team and led all freshmen … his overall grade was fifth nationally among tight ends listed as either a sophomore or freshman … caught at least one pass in six different games and has multiple receptions in five of those contests … recorded four different receptions of at least 20 yards … contributed on special teams as well as part of the kick return and field goal protect units … credited with 119 snaps on special teams with 71 coming as a blocker on kickoff return … SEASON HIGHLIGHTS: made collegiate debut in the season opener versus Houston (9/4) and then his first career start the next week versus Stephen F. Austin (9/11) … hauled in his first career catch in the non-conference finale against Florida International (9/18) … likely his best performance of the season with three catches for 61 yards and a touchdown versus the Panthers … touchdown came via a 25-yard pass from Tyler Shough with less than a minute remaining in the third quarter, giving the Red Raiders a 44-21 lead … reception was his longest of the season that would be matched two additional times … had one catch for seven yards in the Big 12 opener at Texas (9/25) … combined for five receptions over a two-game stretch against TCU (10/9) and at Kansas (10/16) … had two catches for 22 yards versus the Horned Frogs and then three receptions for 38 yards in the win over the Jayhawks … one of his three catches at Kansas went for 25 yards, matching his season long … posted two receptions for 31 yards at Oklahoma (10/30) … missed the win over Iowa State (11/13) due to injury, returning the next week against Oklahoma State (11/20) … made his final three catches of the season versus the Cowboys, resulting in 39 yards overall … the Oklahoma State game kicked off the first of three-consecutive games to be in the starting lineup.
HIGH SCHOOL
Attended Klein High School in his hometown of Spring, Texas … graduated high school early in order to enroll at Texas Tech in January for spring practice … tabbed a preseason candidate for High School All-America honors by Sports Illustrated prior to his senior season … earned first team All-District 15-6A honors as both a junior and senior ... was an Academic All-District honoree as a senior as well ... previously caught 30 passes for 523 yards and 12 touchdowns as a junior … also a member of the school’s basketball program ... was a first team All-District 15-6A honoree on the hardwood as a junior, his final prep season … consensus three-star prospect by the likes of ESPN, Rivals and 247Sports … listed at No. 25 among tight ends by 247Sports and No. 26 by ESPN … received more than 15 scholarships offers, the majority of which from power-five schools … CHOSE TEXAS TECH OVER: Arizona State, Colorado, Duke, Illinois, Iowa State, Kansas, Michigan State, Ole Miss, North Texas, Northwestern, Penn, Pittsburgh, Rice, SMU, Utah and Virginia.
PERSONAL
Mason Tharp ... son of Clay and Susanne Tharp … has an older sister, Cameron … sister was also a collegiate student-athlete, competing in soccer at the University of Oklahoma from 2018-21 ... a supply chain management major at Texas Tech.
Concluded his Red Raider by appearing in all 13 games with 11 starts as a senior … only two missed starts came against Baylor and in the regular-season finale versus West Virginia … catalyst in the run game who was credited with Texas Tech’s success in Tahj Brooks becoming the school’s all-time leading rusher … large frame allowed for greater success in run blocking for Brooks, who became the first Red Raider in history to rush for 1,500 yards in consecutive seasons … utilized in the passing game with 13 catches for 138 yards and two touchdowns … both touchdown catches came late during Big 12 play … of his 13 catches, four came on third down conversions and led to either a Texas Tech field goal (1) or touchdown (3) … rounded out his four-year career as a Red Raider with 57 catches for 614 yards and nine touchdowns … made at least one catch in 10 or 13 games and seven times overall during Big 12 play … credited with 514 offensive snaps according to Pro Football Focus, which led the tight end room … received a 71.8 grade as a run blocker by PFF that ranked second among regular offensive starters … inserted for 40 or more snaps in eight different contests and played in at least 20 snaps in all but one contests (Colorado) … SEASON HIGHLIGHTS: combined for two catches during non-conference play with one for nine yards versus Abilene Christian (8/31) and one for a negative one-yard loss at Washington State (9/7) … had catches for 12, 16 and nine yards over the first three games in Big 12 play against Arizona State (9/21), Cincinnati (9/28) and at Arizona (10/5) … his reception versus Arizona State converted a 3rd-and-10 in the red zone, setting up a Jalin Conyers’ three-yard touchdown run two plays later to give Texas Tech a 24-10 lead after its first drive of the third quarter … converted another key third down the next week versus Cincinnati, moving the sticks on 3rd-and-7 with a 16-yard haul … the Red Raiders needed only three plays from there for a Coy Eakin seven-yard touchdown pass to cut the deficit to 14-10 late in the first quarter … followed with one catch for nine yards at TCU (10/26) before delivering two catches for 18 yards in the road win at Iowa State (11/2) … catch at TCU converted 3rd-and-2, leading to a Gino Garcia 38-yard field goal to get the Red Raiders on the board late in the first quarter … wrapped the regular season with touchdown catches against both Oklahoma State (11/23) and West Virginia (11/30) … finished with two catches for 13 yards at Oklahoma State, finding the end zone on an eight-yard touchdown pass from Behren Morton with 4:04 remaining in the first quarter … connected with Morton again on a 1-yard touchdown pass versus West Virginia as part of two catches for nine yards … touchdown came with 4:19 remaining before halftime to give the Red Raiders a 20-3 lead … ended his Red Raider career with a 44-yard reception in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl versus Arkansas (12/27), marking the longest of his career … catch over the middle pushed the Red Raiders to the Arkansas five-yard line … AWARDS AND HONORS: named to the preseason watch lists for the Reese’s Senior Bowl and the East-West Shrine Bowl.
2023 SEASON (JUNIOR)
Saw action in eight games with seven starts as a junior … missed a five-game stretch during Big 12 play due to injury … managed to catch 18 passes for 178 yards and four touchdowns on the season … ranked tied for second on the team for receiving touchdowns and led the tight room in all receiving categories … his four touchdown catches were one more than his combined total from his previous two seasons … made at least one reception in all eight games and had two or more catches in five different contests … credited with appearing in 355 offensive snaps by Pro Football Focus, which gave him a 70.4 overall grade for the season … targeted 24 times for receptions on the season with 18 of those being completions, which ranked third on the team among those with at least 10 targets … his .750 percentage trailed only the completion rates of fellow tight end Baylor Cupp (91.7) and running back Tahj Brooks (82.4) … graded out at 73.5 as a run blocker by PFF, which led the team among those with 100 offensive snaps … SEASON HIGHLIGHTS: caught one pass for 10 yards in the season opener at Wyoming (9/2) … hauled in a career-high four receptions for 37 yards and a touchdown against Oregon (9/9) … touchdown came via a 7-yard strike from Tyler Shough early in the second quarter … followed with another touchdown catch the next week as part of three receptions for a season-high 43 yards against Tarleton State (9/16) … connected with Shough on a 28-yard touchdown to give the Red Raiders a 21-0 lead with 4:36 remaining in the first quarter … combined for three catches the next two games with one reception for 14 yards at West Virginia (9/23) and two for 16 yards in the win over Houston (9/30) … missed the next five games, however, due to injury … returned against UCF (11/18) for three catches for 32 yards and a key touchdown in the come-from-behind victory … scampered into the end zone on a 19-yard touchdown pass from Behren Morton to tie the game with 3:13 remaining until halftime … received his highest grade of the season versus the Knights with at 83.2 by PFF … had only one catch for four yards in the regular-season finale at Texas (11/24) … found the end zone again in the Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl versus Cal (12/16) as part of three catches for 22 yards … touchdown tied the game early in the second quarter as Morton found him for a 15-yard strike ... AWARDS AND HONORS: recognized on the Academic All-Big 12 second team for a second-consecutive year.
2022 SEASON (SOPHOMORE)
Appeared in 10 games as a sophomore with seven starts … missed each of the final three games of the season due to injury … finished on the receiving end of 12 catches for 100 yards and a pair of touchdowns … shared the high for receptions in the tight end room with Baylor Cupp … had a catch in seven of the 10 games he played … credited with playing in 412 offensive snaps by Pro Football Focus, which led the tight end room … also saw action on special teams, mainly on the field goal protection unit … SEASON HIGHLIGHTS: opened the year with one catch for 21 yards in the season-opening win against Murray State (9/3) … reception went for a touchdown from Behren Morton to cap Texas Tech’s 63-10 victory … matched his career high with three receptions twice on the year at N.C. State (9/17) and versus West Virginia (10/22) … totaled 26 yards through the air against the Wolfpack and then a season-high 35 yards in the win over the Mountaineers … made one catch in three different games against Texas (9/24), at Oklahoma State (10/8) and Baylor (10/29) … lone reception versus Texas was an important one as it went 13 yards, pushing the Red Raiders to the one yard line for a SaRodorick Thompson touchdown that cut the deficit to 31-24 before halftime … last outing of the year came in the win over Kansas (11/12) with two catches for three yards and a touchdown … gave the Red Raiders a 24-7 lead early in the second quarter on a one-yard pass from Tyler Shough … AWARDS AND HONORS: recognized on the Academic All-Big 12 second team.
2021 SEASON (FRESHMAN)
Demonstrated why he was highly-touted out of high school as only a true freshman … appeared in 12 games overall with eight starts at tight end … missed only the win over Iowa State due to injury … seven of his eight starts on the year came either in Big 12 play or in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl … caught 14 passes on the season for 198 yards and a touchdown … finished fifth on the team in receiving yards and sixth for receptions … led all freshmen in both categories as well … targeted 19 times through the passing game, resulting in a 73.7 completion percentage … size radius helped him rank fourth on the team in completion percentage among receivers with at least 10 targets … credited with appearing in 353 snaps on offense, grading out at 74.1 according to Pro Football Focus … that grade ranked eighth on the team and led all freshmen … his overall grade was fifth nationally among tight ends listed as either a sophomore or freshman … caught at least one pass in six different games and has multiple receptions in five of those contests … recorded four different receptions of at least 20 yards … contributed on special teams as well as part of the kick return and field goal protect units … credited with 119 snaps on special teams with 71 coming as a blocker on kickoff return … SEASON HIGHLIGHTS: made collegiate debut in the season opener versus Houston (9/4) and then his first career start the next week versus Stephen F. Austin (9/11) … hauled in his first career catch in the non-conference finale against Florida International (9/18) … likely his best performance of the season with three catches for 61 yards and a touchdown versus the Panthers … touchdown came via a 25-yard pass from Tyler Shough with less than a minute remaining in the third quarter, giving the Red Raiders a 44-21 lead … reception was his longest of the season that would be matched two additional times … had one catch for seven yards in the Big 12 opener at Texas (9/25) … combined for five receptions over a two-game stretch against TCU (10/9) and at Kansas (10/16) … had two catches for 22 yards versus the Horned Frogs and then three receptions for 38 yards in the win over the Jayhawks … one of his three catches at Kansas went for 25 yards, matching his season long … posted two receptions for 31 yards at Oklahoma (10/30) … missed the win over Iowa State (11/13) due to injury, returning the next week against Oklahoma State (11/20) … made his final three catches of the season versus the Cowboys, resulting in 39 yards overall … the Oklahoma State game kicked off the first of three-consecutive games to be in the starting lineup.
HIGH SCHOOL
Attended Klein High School in his hometown of Spring, Texas … graduated high school early in order to enroll at Texas Tech in January for spring practice … tabbed a preseason candidate for High School All-America honors by Sports Illustrated prior to his senior season … earned first team All-District 15-6A honors as both a junior and senior ... was an Academic All-District honoree as a senior as well ... previously caught 30 passes for 523 yards and 12 touchdowns as a junior … also a member of the school’s basketball program ... was a first team All-District 15-6A honoree on the hardwood as a junior, his final prep season … consensus three-star prospect by the likes of ESPN, Rivals and 247Sports … listed at No. 25 among tight ends by 247Sports and No. 26 by ESPN … received more than 15 scholarships offers, the majority of which from power-five schools … CHOSE TEXAS TECH OVER: Arizona State, Colorado, Duke, Illinois, Iowa State, Kansas, Michigan State, Ole Miss, North Texas, Northwestern, Penn, Pittsburgh, Rice, SMU, Utah and Virginia.
PERSONAL
Mason Tharp ... son of Clay and Susanne Tharp … has an older sister, Cameron … sister was also a collegiate student-athlete, competing in soccer at the University of Oklahoma from 2018-21 ... a supply chain management major at Texas Tech.
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