#87

Thomas Gordon

Former tight end at Northwestern. 2024: 27 catches, 252 receiving yards, 1 TD.

TE · Northwestern · Sr. · #87

6′5″ · 255 lb · Houston, TX

CFB Index 45 · #73 of 135 TEsMedium-low confidenceNorthwestern 2024 — college career complete

The story

Former tight end at Northwestern. 2024: 27 catches, 252 receiving yards, 1 TD.

Signed as a 2-star recruit to Furman in 2016.

His career, year by year

Recruiting

2★

WR recruit

No. 3734 nationally · Signed with Furman

No college snaps yet.

His career numbers, season by season

How it ended

Four seasons at Northwestern, 529 receiving yards — his college career is complete.

His career

He barely played early on. Then he did not come off the field.

The week the volume broke through — put up 53 yds vs Illinois.Illinois · L 28-382024

2016

Signed with Furman2-star out of Mallard Creek

Career arc

Recruit

★★

#3734 national

CFB

College

Northwestern

2021–2024

NFL

NFL Draft

—

Not drafted

Coaching lineage · 2021–2024

2 coaches

2021–2022

Pat Fitzgerald

Northwestern

2023–2024

David Braun

Northwestern

era →

Coaching transition mid-career: Pat Fitzgerald → David Braun. Worth noting in scheme + development context.

2024 snapshot

Season context · Team result + system

2021Northwestern3-9HC: Pat Fitzgerald · Run-leaning

2022Northwestern1-11HC: Pat Fitzgerald · Balanced

2023Northwestern8-5HC: David Braun · Run-leaning

2024Northwestern4-8HC: David Braun · Balanced, slow tempo

Where this profile ranks vs the TE cohort

Box-score + play-by-play EPA percentiles

45Rotational starter #73 of 135?

Medium-low confidence10 metrics · season cumulative

Elite: catch rate (91st percentile). Concern: yards / catch (21st percentile).

Real play-by-play efficiency

Catch rate#1 / 610 · 91st pct

100.0%

Explosive rate#416 / 610 · 31st pct

11.1%

TD rate#418 / 610 · 31st pct

3.7%

EPA / target#449 / 610 · 26th pct

0.65

Yards / catch#484 / 610 · 21st pct

9.3

Box-score rates (5)

Receptions#56 / 168 · 65th pct

Rec yards#74 / 168 · 56th pct

252

Rec TDs#110 / 168 · 25th pct

Yards / catch#126 / 168 · 25th pct

9.3

Long catch#134 / 168 · 19th pct

Season trend

EPA / target— first qualifying season

Explosive rate— first qualifying season

Catch rate— first qualifying season

TD rate— first qualifying season

Yards / catch— first qualifying season

Percentiles versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season. Most bars are box-score rates; EPA / success-rate bars are computed from real play-by-play (offense only — no defensive EPA model exists yet).

Splits & context

Splits · Per-game

2024 season · 12 games

Home/Road · Season halves

Home vs Road

	REC/g	YDS/g	YPR	TD/g
Home7g	2.7	29.6	12.3	0.1
Road5g	1.6	9.0	7.0	0.0

First half vs Second half

	REC/g	YDS/g	YPR	TD/g
Weeks 1-76g	1.7	17.7	10.3	0.0
Weeks 8+6g	2.8	24.3	9.9	0.2

Supporting cast · Scheme

Staff and system around the player

2026 season

Head Coach

David Braun

Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 1 game in so far.

Awards

Player standing · 2024

Rotational

Earning real snaps in the rotation without a starting job.

Recognition

Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex

Production · CFB Index Score

45 · #73 of 135 TEs

Two-star recruit. Now #73 at the position.

Career stats

Season	Team
2024	Northwestern	27	252	9.3	1	--
2023	Northwestern	13	112	8.6	1	--
2022	Northwestern	12	162	13.5	0	--
2021	Northwestern	2	3	1.5	0	--
Career		54	529	9.8	2	--

Signature game

SIGNATURE GAME · Week 3 · 2024

W 31–7

vs Eastern Illinois

2 rec · 25 yds

Dominant 24-point win at home against Eastern Illinois.

With J. Lausch — 227 yds · 2 TD · 0 INT · QBR 35.9 · 62 rush yds (7 car) · J. Himon II — 49 rush yds (5 car) · 1 TD

Signature plays

Signature plays · top plays by |EPA|

The plays that mattered most

fact

Week 14 · Illinois · 1&10 · Q4 · EPA +2.56Jack Lausch pass complete to Thomas Gordon for 15 yds for a TD (Jack Lausch pass to Marshall Lang for Two-Point Conversion)
Week 2 · Duke · 3&12 · Q2 · EPA +2.44Mike Wright pass complete to Thomas Gordon for 16 yds to the NU 40 for a 1ST down
Week 1 · Miami (OH) · 3&10 · Q3 · EPA +2.33Mike Wright pass complete to Thomas Gordon for 25 yds to the M-OH 13 for a 1ST down
Week 9 · Iowa · 1&15 · Q4 · EPA +2.09Ryan Hilinski pass complete to Thomas Gordon for 21 yds to the IOWA 34 for a 1ST down
Week 8 · Wisconsin · 1&10 · Q1 · EPA +2.02Jack Lausch pass complete to Thomas Gordon for 26 yds to the NU 42 for a 1ST down
Week 6 · Indiana · 3&9 · Q2 · EPA +1.29Jack Lausch pass complete to Thomas Gordon for 16 yds to the IU 8 for a 1ST down
Week 3 · Eastern Illinois · 1&10 · Q3 · EPA +1.13Jack Lausch pass complete to Thomas Gordon for 15 yds to the EIU 3 for a 1ST down
Week 14 · Illinois · 2&10 · Q1 · EPA +1.09Jack Lausch pass complete to Thomas Gordon for 9 yds to the ILL 49
Week 10 · Purdue · 3&2 · Q2 · EPA +0.94Jack Lausch pass complete to Thomas Gordon for 2 yds to the PUR 40 for a 1ST down
Week 14 · Illinois · 3&3 · Q2 · EPA +0.81Jack Lausch pass complete to Thomas Gordon for 4 yds to the NU 25 for a 1ST down

Game log

Game log · Week-by-week

2024 season · 12 games

Box score · CFBD

Wk	Opp	REC	YDS	AVG	TD	LONG	Note
Wk 1	W 13-6vs Miami (OH)	2	28	14.0	0	25
Wk 2	L 20-26vs Duke	2	24	12.0	0	16
Wk 3	W 31-7vs Eastern Illinois	2	25	12.5	0	15
Wk 4	L 5-24@ Washington	1	2	2.0	0	2
Wk 6	L 24-41vs Indiana	1	16	16.0	0	16
Wk 7	W 37-10@ Maryland	2	11	5.5	0	6
Wk 8	L 3-23vs Wisconsin	4	49	12.3	0	26
Wk 9	L 14-40@ Iowa	1	21	21.0	0	21
Wk 10	W 26-20@ Purdue	3	7	2.3	0	3
Wk 12	L 7-31vs Ohio State	1	12	12.0	0	12
Wk 13	L 6-50@ Michigan	1	4	4.0	0	4
Wk 14	L 28-38vs Illinois	7	53	7.6	1	15	Season-high 53 yds
Total		27	252	10.1	1	26

Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology

Thomas Gordon

2016

2024 snapshot

Splits & context

Awards

Rotational

Career stats

Signature game

Signature plays

Game log

How he plays

DNA match

Complete TE

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