2019 Football Roster
Roster
Vasher, T.J.

Jersey Number 9
T.J. Vasher
- Position:
- Wide Receiver
- Height:
- 6-6
- Weight:
- 210
- Class:
- Junior
- Hometown:
- Wichita Falls, Texas
- High School:
- Rider
Bio
2020 SEAS0N (SENIOR)
Placed his name in the Texas Tech record book during his final season as a Red Raider … limited to only seven games played on the season with two starts … caught 19 passes for 227 yards and a pair of touchdowns overall, the bulk of which came in the first two games of the season … was limited from that point on in the season … recorded at least two receptions in five different games overall … IN TEXAS TECH RECORD BOOK: moved into the school’s top 10 for career touchdown receptions after finishing his tenure with 19 scores through the air … closed his career tied for ninth in the category alongside the likes of Carlos Francis (2000-03), Wes Welker (2000-03) and Nehemiah Glover (2001-04) … SEASON HIGHLIGHTS: opened the season with a strong performance against Houston Baptist (9/12) after matching his career high with eight receptions, resulting in a season-high 79 yards … found the end zone twice two weeks later in the Big 12 opener against Texas (9/26) as part of four catches for 74 yards … touchdowns both came in the second half as Alan Bowman found him for a 29-yard strike late in the third quarter and then again on an 18-yard score midway through the fourth quarter … final touchdown pushed Tech’s lead to 49-41 with just over six minutes remaining … was another in his long list of highlight-worthy catches as dove in the corner of the end zone to make the catch with his feet in bounds … had two catches at Kansas State (10/3) for 10 yards … missed both the West Virginia (10/24) and Oklahoma (10/31) games as well as the season finale against Kansas (12/5) … in between, recorded two catches at TCU (11/7) for 22 yards and another two receptions versus Baylor (11/14) for 28 yards … closed his Red Raider career with one catch for 14 yards at Oklahoma State (11/28) … was injured on the catch against the Cowboys, which kept him out for the remainder of that game as well as against the Jayhawks … AWARDS AND HONORS: tabbed to the preseason watch list for the Reese’s Senior Bowl top 250 … SENIOR DECISION: elected to forego his remaining year of eligibility to enter the 2021 NFL Draft.
2019 SEASON (JUNIOR)
Continued to be a big play threat in the passing game as a junior … appeared in 10 games on the year with seven starts … missed both the West Virginia and TCU games late in the season … also saw limited action against Kansas State … led the team with six touchdown catches, giving him 19 for his career through three seasons … will enter his senior season with the opportunity to place his name among Texas Tech’s all-time leaders for receiving touchdowns … four of his six touchdown catches came during Big 12 play … finished tied for second on the team with 42 receptions and third with 515 receiving yards … caught at least two passes in eight of his 10 games played … recorded 70 or more receiving yards in four different games with one 100-yard performance … caught five passes that went for 25 yards or longer on the year … saw 26 of his 42 receptions on the year go for either a first down or a touchdown … led the team with 17 plays that moved the sticks or found the end zone on first down alone … also had three tackles, including one on kickoff coverage ... IN NCAA RANKINGS: ended the year ranked tied for 89th nationally in receiving touchdowns (6) … IN BIG 12 RANKINGS: ranked eighth in the league for receptions per game (4.2), nine in receiving touchdowns and 15th in receiving yards per game (51.5) … SEASON HIGHLIGHTS: caught six passes and totaled at least 70 receiving yards in each of the three non-conference games against Montana State (8/31), UTEP (9/7) and Arizona (9/14) … went for 72 yards in the season opener versus Montana State before adding 78 yards through the air the next week in a win over UTEP … performance against UTEP also included two touchdown receptions, both from Alan Bowman … scored Texas Tech’s second touchdown of the game from 13 yards out in the second quarter and then added a 30-yard strike late in the third quarter … marked the fourth multi-touchdown game of his career … came close to his third career 100-yard outing after hauling in six passes for 96 yards at Arizona … performance included a diving 39-yard grab that was featured among the top catches among any receiver during the 2019 season … catch placed the Red Raiders at the 1 yard line, leading to a SaRodorick Thompson touchdown two plays later … limited to only one catch for two yards in the Big 12 opener at Oklahoma (9/28) … eclipsed the 100-yard mark a week later, though, in the top-25 win over Oklahoma State (10/5) … caught five passes for 110 yards and a touchdown in the victory … touchdown came on a 21-yard strike to end Texas Tech’s first drive of the second half, giving the Red Raiders a 27-7 lead … marked the first of four-consecutive games with a touchdown reception … followed the next week with six catches for 46 yards and a touchdown at Baylor (10/12) … dove to catch a fade attempt in the back of the end zone to tie the game back at 27-27 following the first overtime period … found the end zone from 2 yards out again the next week versus Iowa State (10/19) as part of five catches for 36 yards … final touchdown of the year came on a 19-yard strike early in the third quarter at Kansas (10/26) … was one of two catches for 33 yards in the loss … did not catch another pass until the season finale at Texas (11/29) where he had five receptions for 42 yards.
2018 SEASON (SOPHOMORE)
Put together a strong sophomore season featuring a number of highlight-worthy catches … appeared in 11 games on the season with nine starts from the “Z” receiver position … finished third on the team with 54 receptions for 687 yards … was second on the team only to Antoine Wesley with seven touchdown catches … now has 13 touchdown catches over his first two seasons, eight shy of entering the Texas Tech career record book … averaged 12.7 yards per catch overall … recorded at least 60 yards through the air in all but two games … caught three or more passes in all but one game as well … moved the sticks or found the end zone on 42 of his 56 receptions on the year (75 percent) … IN NCAA RANKINGS: endd the year 71st in receptions per game (4.9) and 85th in receiving yards per game (62.5) … IN BIG 12 RANKINGS: ranked 10th in the league for receptions per game and 16th for both receiving yards per game and total receiving yards ... SEASON HIGHLIGHTS: began the year with four catches for 66 yards against Ole Miss (9/1) in Houston … performance included a leaping one-handed catch over his head that later set up a Texas Tech touchdown … earned the top spot later that night for SportsCenter’s top-10 plays of the opening weekend of college football … hauled in three passes for 51 yards the following week in a rout of Lamar (9/8) … closed non-conference play with six receptions for a season-high 94 yards and two touchdowns versus Houston (9/15) … marked the second multi-touchdown game of his career and first of two on the season … found the end zone again a week later in the Big 12 opener at Oklahoma State (9/22) as part of three catches for 62 yards … scored the Red Raiders’ first touchdown of the night on a 12-yard fade pass from Alan Bowman with 4:50 remaining in the opening quarter … injured late in the Oklahoma State game, forcing him to miss the West Virginia game (9/29) … limited in his return with only two catches for 10 yards before leaving early in first half at TCU (10/11) … seemed back at full strength versus Kansas, posting five catches for 79 yards and a touchdown … contest was the first of six-straight games with five or more catches to close the season … had five catches again the next week at Iowa State, resulting in 66 yards … finished with six catches for 42 yards and touchdown against Oklahoma (11/3) … six-yard touchdown gave the Red Raiders an early 7-0 lead over the Sooners … snapped his career high with eight receptions versus Texas (11/10), finishing with 87 yards and two touchdowns through the air … again scored the game’s opening touchdown, this time via a five-yard pass from Jett Duffey … added a two-yard touchdown late in the fourth quarter, cutting the Red Raiders’ deficit to 34-27 with only 4:47 remaining … caught six passes in each of the final two games of the year at Kansas State (11/17) and versus Baylor (11/24) in Arlington … had a team-leading 69 yards through the air against the Wildcats and then 61 yards in the Baylor game … AWARDS AND HONORS: preseason candidate for the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award.
2017 SEASON (REDSHIRT FRESHMAN)
Became one of Texas Tech’s top receiving options in first full season as a Red Raider … appeared in all 13 games on the year while receiving five starts … each of his five starts came in the final four games of the regular season as well as the Birmingham Bowl … finished third on the team with 545 receiving yards and six touchdowns, the majority of which that came late in the season … was fourth on the team with 29 receptions as well … caught all but two of his passes during the final eight games of the season … turned in two 100-yard receiving performances, which ranked second on the team behind Keke Coutee … averaged an impressive 18.8 yards per catch which led the team … IN NCAA RANKINGS: ended the year ranked 22nd in receiving yards per reception … IN BIG 12 RANKINGS: ranked seventh in the league for receiving yards per reception … SEASON HIGHLIGHTS … opened the year with one catch for 11 yards in the season opener versus Eastern Washington (9/2) … other catch during non-conference play came on a five-yard reception in win over Houston (9/23) … had a breakout game at West Virginia (10/14) early in Big 12 play, catching a pair of passes for 113 yards and two touchdowns … scored the Red Raiders’ opening touchdown on a screen pass that he took 60 yards to the end zone … marked the longest reception of his career … went over a West Virginia defender to haul in a 53-yard deep pass for a touchdown later in the second half … touchdown grab gave Tech a 28-17 lead and pushed him over 100 yards in the game for the first time in his career … marked the first time dating back to the start of the 2000 season that a Red Raider recorded multiple touchdown catches of 50 yards or more … came close to another 100-yard game two weeks later at Oklahoma (10/28) … caught a career-high five passes for 98 yards against the Sooners … found the end zone again a week later on a 22-yard touchdown grab early in the fourth quarter against Kansas State (11/4) … earned his first career start at “Z” receiver versus the Wildcats … touchdown was part of five catches for 58 yards … recorded a touchdown catch in three of the next four games to close the season … hauled in a five-yard touchdown reception a week later against Baylor (11/11) … pushed the Red Raiders to a 21-7 lead over the Bears early in the second quarter … limited to just one catch for seven yards against TCU (11/18) … matched his career high again with five receptions in the season-finale against Texas (11/24) … notched a new career high with 127 yards through the air against the Longhorns … cut the Red Raiders’ deficit to 23-20 on a 13-yard touchdown haul early in the fourth quarter … closed the season with five catches for 84 yards and a touchdown in the Birmingham Bowl versus USF (12/23) … touchdown came on a 25-yard streak that gave the Red Raiders a 34-31 lead with just 1:31 remaining in the game.
2016 SEASON (FRESHMAN)
Lone appearance as a true freshman came in season opener versus Stephen F. Austin (9/3) … caught two passes for nine yards in his debut … missed the rest of the season due to injury ... granted a medical hardship waver by the Big 12 Conference following the season.
HIGH SCHOOL
Graduate of Rider High School in Wichita Falls, Texas ... played three years of varsity football for head coach Marc Bindel ... two-time Associated Press Class 5A All-State player in both football and basketball ... earned Scout Class 5A Dallas-Fort Worth All-Area first team honors as a wide receiver ... finished with 2,553 receiving yards, 158 receptions, 29 touchdown receptions and a 16.2 yards per catch average in 35 games over his three-year career ... concluded senior season with 55 receptions for 1,071 yards (19.5 average), nine touchdowns and a 97.4 receiving yards per game average ... consensus four-star recruit ... rated the state of Texas’ No. 51 recruit, No. 58 national wide receiver and No. 321 player nationally by 247Sports ... listed as the state’s No. 41 recruit and No. 55 national wide receiver by Rivals ... ranked the nation’s No. 65 wide receiver, No. 58 state player by ESPN ... ranked the No. 8 wide receiver in Texas and No. 47 wide receiver nationally by Scout ... CHOSE TEXAS TECH OVER: Ohio State, Mississippi, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Texas, Mississippi State, Houston and Colorado ... also received scholarship offers to play NCAA Division I basketball.
PERSONAL
Tariq J. Vasher ... son of Roy Vasher... has three brothers, Kalen, Tarion, and Landen, as well as three sisters, Rylee, Jade, and Tiana ... uncle Nathan Vasher played seven seasons in the NFL, was a Pro Bowl cornerback for the Chicago Bears and Detroit Lions, attended Texas (2000-03) and earned All-State honors at Texas H.S. ... a human sciences major at Texas Tech.
CAREER HIGHS
Touchdowns: 2, five times, vs. Texas (2020)*
Receptions: 8, twice, vs. Houston Baptist (2020)*
Receiving Yards: 127, at Texas (2017)
Receiving Touchdowns: 2, five times, vs. Texas (2020)*
Long Reception: 60, at West Virginia (2017)
All-Purpose Yards: 127, at Texas (2017)
* Indicates most recent high
Placed his name in the Texas Tech record book during his final season as a Red Raider … limited to only seven games played on the season with two starts … caught 19 passes for 227 yards and a pair of touchdowns overall, the bulk of which came in the first two games of the season … was limited from that point on in the season … recorded at least two receptions in five different games overall … IN TEXAS TECH RECORD BOOK: moved into the school’s top 10 for career touchdown receptions after finishing his tenure with 19 scores through the air … closed his career tied for ninth in the category alongside the likes of Carlos Francis (2000-03), Wes Welker (2000-03) and Nehemiah Glover (2001-04) … SEASON HIGHLIGHTS: opened the season with a strong performance against Houston Baptist (9/12) after matching his career high with eight receptions, resulting in a season-high 79 yards … found the end zone twice two weeks later in the Big 12 opener against Texas (9/26) as part of four catches for 74 yards … touchdowns both came in the second half as Alan Bowman found him for a 29-yard strike late in the third quarter and then again on an 18-yard score midway through the fourth quarter … final touchdown pushed Tech’s lead to 49-41 with just over six minutes remaining … was another in his long list of highlight-worthy catches as dove in the corner of the end zone to make the catch with his feet in bounds … had two catches at Kansas State (10/3) for 10 yards … missed both the West Virginia (10/24) and Oklahoma (10/31) games as well as the season finale against Kansas (12/5) … in between, recorded two catches at TCU (11/7) for 22 yards and another two receptions versus Baylor (11/14) for 28 yards … closed his Red Raider career with one catch for 14 yards at Oklahoma State (11/28) … was injured on the catch against the Cowboys, which kept him out for the remainder of that game as well as against the Jayhawks … AWARDS AND HONORS: tabbed to the preseason watch list for the Reese’s Senior Bowl top 250 … SENIOR DECISION: elected to forego his remaining year of eligibility to enter the 2021 NFL Draft.
2019 SEASON (JUNIOR)
Continued to be a big play threat in the passing game as a junior … appeared in 10 games on the year with seven starts … missed both the West Virginia and TCU games late in the season … also saw limited action against Kansas State … led the team with six touchdown catches, giving him 19 for his career through three seasons … will enter his senior season with the opportunity to place his name among Texas Tech’s all-time leaders for receiving touchdowns … four of his six touchdown catches came during Big 12 play … finished tied for second on the team with 42 receptions and third with 515 receiving yards … caught at least two passes in eight of his 10 games played … recorded 70 or more receiving yards in four different games with one 100-yard performance … caught five passes that went for 25 yards or longer on the year … saw 26 of his 42 receptions on the year go for either a first down or a touchdown … led the team with 17 plays that moved the sticks or found the end zone on first down alone … also had three tackles, including one on kickoff coverage ... IN NCAA RANKINGS: ended the year ranked tied for 89th nationally in receiving touchdowns (6) … IN BIG 12 RANKINGS: ranked eighth in the league for receptions per game (4.2), nine in receiving touchdowns and 15th in receiving yards per game (51.5) … SEASON HIGHLIGHTS: caught six passes and totaled at least 70 receiving yards in each of the three non-conference games against Montana State (8/31), UTEP (9/7) and Arizona (9/14) … went for 72 yards in the season opener versus Montana State before adding 78 yards through the air the next week in a win over UTEP … performance against UTEP also included two touchdown receptions, both from Alan Bowman … scored Texas Tech’s second touchdown of the game from 13 yards out in the second quarter and then added a 30-yard strike late in the third quarter … marked the fourth multi-touchdown game of his career … came close to his third career 100-yard outing after hauling in six passes for 96 yards at Arizona … performance included a diving 39-yard grab that was featured among the top catches among any receiver during the 2019 season … catch placed the Red Raiders at the 1 yard line, leading to a SaRodorick Thompson touchdown two plays later … limited to only one catch for two yards in the Big 12 opener at Oklahoma (9/28) … eclipsed the 100-yard mark a week later, though, in the top-25 win over Oklahoma State (10/5) … caught five passes for 110 yards and a touchdown in the victory … touchdown came on a 21-yard strike to end Texas Tech’s first drive of the second half, giving the Red Raiders a 27-7 lead … marked the first of four-consecutive games with a touchdown reception … followed the next week with six catches for 46 yards and a touchdown at Baylor (10/12) … dove to catch a fade attempt in the back of the end zone to tie the game back at 27-27 following the first overtime period … found the end zone from 2 yards out again the next week versus Iowa State (10/19) as part of five catches for 36 yards … final touchdown of the year came on a 19-yard strike early in the third quarter at Kansas (10/26) … was one of two catches for 33 yards in the loss … did not catch another pass until the season finale at Texas (11/29) where he had five receptions for 42 yards.
2018 SEASON (SOPHOMORE)
Put together a strong sophomore season featuring a number of highlight-worthy catches … appeared in 11 games on the season with nine starts from the “Z” receiver position … finished third on the team with 54 receptions for 687 yards … was second on the team only to Antoine Wesley with seven touchdown catches … now has 13 touchdown catches over his first two seasons, eight shy of entering the Texas Tech career record book … averaged 12.7 yards per catch overall … recorded at least 60 yards through the air in all but two games … caught three or more passes in all but one game as well … moved the sticks or found the end zone on 42 of his 56 receptions on the year (75 percent) … IN NCAA RANKINGS: endd the year 71st in receptions per game (4.9) and 85th in receiving yards per game (62.5) … IN BIG 12 RANKINGS: ranked 10th in the league for receptions per game and 16th for both receiving yards per game and total receiving yards ... SEASON HIGHLIGHTS: began the year with four catches for 66 yards against Ole Miss (9/1) in Houston … performance included a leaping one-handed catch over his head that later set up a Texas Tech touchdown … earned the top spot later that night for SportsCenter’s top-10 plays of the opening weekend of college football … hauled in three passes for 51 yards the following week in a rout of Lamar (9/8) … closed non-conference play with six receptions for a season-high 94 yards and two touchdowns versus Houston (9/15) … marked the second multi-touchdown game of his career and first of two on the season … found the end zone again a week later in the Big 12 opener at Oklahoma State (9/22) as part of three catches for 62 yards … scored the Red Raiders’ first touchdown of the night on a 12-yard fade pass from Alan Bowman with 4:50 remaining in the opening quarter … injured late in the Oklahoma State game, forcing him to miss the West Virginia game (9/29) … limited in his return with only two catches for 10 yards before leaving early in first half at TCU (10/11) … seemed back at full strength versus Kansas, posting five catches for 79 yards and a touchdown … contest was the first of six-straight games with five or more catches to close the season … had five catches again the next week at Iowa State, resulting in 66 yards … finished with six catches for 42 yards and touchdown against Oklahoma (11/3) … six-yard touchdown gave the Red Raiders an early 7-0 lead over the Sooners … snapped his career high with eight receptions versus Texas (11/10), finishing with 87 yards and two touchdowns through the air … again scored the game’s opening touchdown, this time via a five-yard pass from Jett Duffey … added a two-yard touchdown late in the fourth quarter, cutting the Red Raiders’ deficit to 34-27 with only 4:47 remaining … caught six passes in each of the final two games of the year at Kansas State (11/17) and versus Baylor (11/24) in Arlington … had a team-leading 69 yards through the air against the Wildcats and then 61 yards in the Baylor game … AWARDS AND HONORS: preseason candidate for the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award.
2017 SEASON (REDSHIRT FRESHMAN)
Became one of Texas Tech’s top receiving options in first full season as a Red Raider … appeared in all 13 games on the year while receiving five starts … each of his five starts came in the final four games of the regular season as well as the Birmingham Bowl … finished third on the team with 545 receiving yards and six touchdowns, the majority of which that came late in the season … was fourth on the team with 29 receptions as well … caught all but two of his passes during the final eight games of the season … turned in two 100-yard receiving performances, which ranked second on the team behind Keke Coutee … averaged an impressive 18.8 yards per catch which led the team … IN NCAA RANKINGS: ended the year ranked 22nd in receiving yards per reception … IN BIG 12 RANKINGS: ranked seventh in the league for receiving yards per reception … SEASON HIGHLIGHTS … opened the year with one catch for 11 yards in the season opener versus Eastern Washington (9/2) … other catch during non-conference play came on a five-yard reception in win over Houston (9/23) … had a breakout game at West Virginia (10/14) early in Big 12 play, catching a pair of passes for 113 yards and two touchdowns … scored the Red Raiders’ opening touchdown on a screen pass that he took 60 yards to the end zone … marked the longest reception of his career … went over a West Virginia defender to haul in a 53-yard deep pass for a touchdown later in the second half … touchdown grab gave Tech a 28-17 lead and pushed him over 100 yards in the game for the first time in his career … marked the first time dating back to the start of the 2000 season that a Red Raider recorded multiple touchdown catches of 50 yards or more … came close to another 100-yard game two weeks later at Oklahoma (10/28) … caught a career-high five passes for 98 yards against the Sooners … found the end zone again a week later on a 22-yard touchdown grab early in the fourth quarter against Kansas State (11/4) … earned his first career start at “Z” receiver versus the Wildcats … touchdown was part of five catches for 58 yards … recorded a touchdown catch in three of the next four games to close the season … hauled in a five-yard touchdown reception a week later against Baylor (11/11) … pushed the Red Raiders to a 21-7 lead over the Bears early in the second quarter … limited to just one catch for seven yards against TCU (11/18) … matched his career high again with five receptions in the season-finale against Texas (11/24) … notched a new career high with 127 yards through the air against the Longhorns … cut the Red Raiders’ deficit to 23-20 on a 13-yard touchdown haul early in the fourth quarter … closed the season with five catches for 84 yards and a touchdown in the Birmingham Bowl versus USF (12/23) … touchdown came on a 25-yard streak that gave the Red Raiders a 34-31 lead with just 1:31 remaining in the game.
2016 SEASON (FRESHMAN)
Lone appearance as a true freshman came in season opener versus Stephen F. Austin (9/3) … caught two passes for nine yards in his debut … missed the rest of the season due to injury ... granted a medical hardship waver by the Big 12 Conference following the season.
HIGH SCHOOL
Graduate of Rider High School in Wichita Falls, Texas ... played three years of varsity football for head coach Marc Bindel ... two-time Associated Press Class 5A All-State player in both football and basketball ... earned Scout Class 5A Dallas-Fort Worth All-Area first team honors as a wide receiver ... finished with 2,553 receiving yards, 158 receptions, 29 touchdown receptions and a 16.2 yards per catch average in 35 games over his three-year career ... concluded senior season with 55 receptions for 1,071 yards (19.5 average), nine touchdowns and a 97.4 receiving yards per game average ... consensus four-star recruit ... rated the state of Texas’ No. 51 recruit, No. 58 national wide receiver and No. 321 player nationally by 247Sports ... listed as the state’s No. 41 recruit and No. 55 national wide receiver by Rivals ... ranked the nation’s No. 65 wide receiver, No. 58 state player by ESPN ... ranked the No. 8 wide receiver in Texas and No. 47 wide receiver nationally by Scout ... CHOSE TEXAS TECH OVER: Ohio State, Mississippi, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Texas, Mississippi State, Houston and Colorado ... also received scholarship offers to play NCAA Division I basketball.
PERSONAL
Tariq J. Vasher ... son of Roy Vasher... has three brothers, Kalen, Tarion, and Landen, as well as three sisters, Rylee, Jade, and Tiana ... uncle Nathan Vasher played seven seasons in the NFL, was a Pro Bowl cornerback for the Chicago Bears and Detroit Lions, attended Texas (2000-03) and earned All-State honors at Texas H.S. ... a human sciences major at Texas Tech.
CAREER HIGHS
Touchdowns: 2, five times, vs. Texas (2020)*
Receptions: 8, twice, vs. Houston Baptist (2020)*
Receiving Yards: 127, at Texas (2017)
Receiving Touchdowns: 2, five times, vs. Texas (2020)*
Long Reception: 60, at West Virginia (2017)
All-Purpose Yards: 127, at Texas (2017)
* Indicates most recent high
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