T. J. Luther
| No. 82 – New England Patriots | |
|---|---|
| Position: | Wide receiver |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | May 13, 2000[1] Arcadia, Florida, U.S. |
| Height: | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Weight: | 180 lb (82 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school: | Port Charlotte (Port Charlotte, Florida) |
| College: | Wofford (2018–2020) Gardner–Webb (2021–2022) |
| Undrafted: | 2023 |
| Career history | |
| |
| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |
| Roster status: | Active |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Career NFL statistics | |
| Player stats at NFL.com · PFR | |
Tyreece "T. J." Luther (born May 13, 2000)[1] is an American football wide receiver for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Wofford and Gardner–Webb.
Early life and high school[edit]
Luther grew up in Arcadia, Florida and attended Port Charlotte High School where he lettered in football and track & field.[2] During high school, he was a four-year starter and as a senior, he had 724 receiving yards and 16 touchdowns, along with 262 rushing yards and six touchdowns.[3] He later committed to play college football at Wofford.
College career[edit]
Wofford[edit]
During Luther's true freshman season in 2018, he played in all 13 games and started one at wide receiver. He finished the season with 14 receptions for 323 yards and four touchdowns along with three rushes for 51 yards and eight kickoff returns for 189 yards.[4] During the 2019 season, he played in ten games and started in seven of them. He finished the season with 447 receiving yards and three touchdowns on 19 catches along with 45 rushing yards on ten carries and 357 yards on 14 kickoff returns.[5] During the 2020-21 season, he played in and started four games before he opted out and finished the season with six catches for 108 yards and a touchdown along with 179 kickoff return yards.[6]
On April 2, 2021, after the season ended, Luther announced that he was entering the transfer portal.[7] He ultimately transferred to Gardner–Webb.
Gardner–Webb[edit]
During the 2021 season, Luther played in and started seven games as the team's primary kickoff return man. He finished the season with 23 caught passes for 384 yards and four touchdowns averaging in 16.7 yards per catch and returned seven kickoffs for 179 yards.[8] During the 2022 season, he played in 12 games and started two of them. He finished the season with 55 receptions for 1,035 yards and seven touchdowns.[9]
Professional career[edit]
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 ft 11+1⁄4 in (1.81 m) |
189 lb (86 kg) |
30+7⁄8 in (0.78 m) |
9+3⁄8 in (0.24 m) |
4.50 s | 1.63 s | 2.53 s | 4.40 s | 7.39 s | 39.0 in (0.99 m) |
10 ft 7 in (3.23 m) |
14 reps | |
| All values from Pro Day[10] | ||||||||||||
New York Jets[edit]
On April 29, 2023, Luther was signed to the New York Jets as an undrafted free agent after going unselected in the 2023 NFL draft.[11] Luther was released on August 29, 2023.[12]
New England Patriots[edit]
On September 1, 2023, Luther was signed to the New England Patriots practice squad.[13] The Patriots released him on October 18, 2023.[14] Luther was re-signed to the Patriots' practice squad on November 7.[15] He signed a reserve/future contract on January 8, 2024.[16]
References[edit]
- ^ a b "T.J. Luther Biography". ESPN. Retrieved September 9, 2023.
- ^ "Tyreece Luther's High School Career Home". MaxPreps.com. Retrieved October 3, 2023.
- ^ "T.J. Luther". Gardner–Webb Runnin' Bulldogs.
- ^ Hoag, Jacob (December 27, 2018). "Big plays abound in Luther's first season at Wofford". YourSun.com.
- ^ Boynton, Eric (February 18, 2021). "Wholesale changes are highly unlikely, but just how different will Wofford's offense look?". Go Upstate.
- ^ "T.J. Luther". Wofford Terriers.
- ^ Boynton, Eric (April 2, 2021). "Wofford football players T.J. Luther and D'Mauriae VanCleave enter NCAA transfer portal". Go Upstate.
- ^ "NFL Draft Profile: TJ Luther, Wide Receiver, Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs". Sports Illustrated. March 30, 2023.
- ^ Hickey, Kevin (April 2, 2023). "Report: Colts to host WR T.J. Luther on pre-draft visit". Colts Wire.
- ^ "2023 NFL Draft Scout T.J. Luther College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
- ^ "Jets' TJ Luther: Inks deal with Jets". CBS Sports.
- ^ "New York Jets: 2023 Jets Roster Cuts". newyorkjets.com. August 29, 2023. Retrieved October 3, 2023.
- ^ Buchmasser, Bernd (September 1, 2023). "Patriots reportedly sign rookie wide receiver T.J. Luther to their practice squad, release Thyrick Pitts". Pats Pulpit. Retrieved October 3, 2023.
- ^ "Patriots Make Changes to the Practice Squad". Patriots.com. October 18, 2023. Retrieved October 18, 2023.
- ^ McElroy, Jordy. "Report: Patriots bringing undrafted rookie WR back to practice squad". Patriots Wire. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
- ^ "Patriots Sign Seven Players to Future Contracts". Patriots.com. January 8, 2024.