TJ Sheffield

Former wide receiver at UConn. 2024: 54 catches, 505 receiving yards, 3 TD.

WR · UConn · Sr. · #8

5′10″ · 190 lb · Thompsons Station, TN

CFB Index 50 · #196 of 466 WRsHigh confidenceUConn 2024 — college career complete

Recruiting

3★

WR recruit

No. 589 nationally · Signed with Independence

No college snaps yet.

His career numbers, season by season

The story

Former wide receiver at UConn. 2024: 54 catches, 505 receiving yards, 3 TD.

Signed as a 3-star recruit to Independence in 2019.
Transferred from Purdue to UConn in 2024.

His career, year by year

How it ended

Six seasons at UConn, 1,714 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 141 yds vs Temple.Temple · W 29-202024

2019

Recruited3-star out of Independence

202413 games

The role got bigger.

Entered the portal

Career arc

Recruit

★★★

#589 national

CFB

College

2 teams

2019–2024

NFL

NFL Draft

—

Not drafted

Coaching lineage · 2019–2024

3 coaches

2019

Randy Edsall

UConn

2021

Lou Spanos

UConn

era →

2022–2024

Jim Mora

UConn

era →

Played under 3 different head coaches: Randy Edsall, Lou Spanos, and Jim Mora. Multi-era developmental context.

2024 snapshot

Season context · Team result + system

2019Purdue4-8HC: Jeff Brohm · Pass-leaning

2020Purdue2-4HC: Jeff Brohm · Pass-heavy

2021Purdue9-4HC: Jeff Brohm · Pass-leaning, fast tempo

2022Purdue8-6HC: Jeff Brohm · Pass-leaning

2023Purdue4-8HC: Ryan Walters · Run-leaning

2024UConn9-4HC: Jim Mora · Run-leaning

Where this profile ranks vs the WR cohort

Box-score + play-by-play EPA percentiles

50Rotational starter #196 of 466?

High confidence11 metrics · season cumulative

Elite: receptions (83rd percentile). Concern: yards / catch (22nd percentile).

Real play-by-play efficiency

Catch rate#216 / 610 · 64th pct

92.9%

TD rate#329 / 610 · 46th pct

5.4%

EPA / target#465 / 610 · 24th pct

0.63

Explosive rate#467 / 610 · 24th pct

8.9%

Yards / catch#478 / 610 · 22nd pct

9.4

Box-score rates (6)

Receptions#90 / 541 · 83rd pct

Long catch#169 / 541 · 68th pct

Rec yards#200 / 541 · 63rd pct

505

Rec TDs#193 / 541 · 57th pct

Yards / catch#494 / 541 · 9th pct

9.4

Fumbles lost#197 / 221 · 7th pct

Season trend

Last seasonThis season

EPA / target

83rd → 24th percentile

Explosive rate

60th → 24th percentile

Catch rate

85th → 64th percentile

TD rate

53rd → 46th percentile

Yards / catch

49th → 22nd percentile

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 · 13 games

Home/Road · Season halves

Home vs Road

	REC/g	YDS/g	YPR	TD/g
Home7g	3.9	44.1	10.6	0.1
Road6g	4.5	32.7	8.5	0.3

First half vs Second half

	REC/g	YDS/g	YPR	TD/g
Weeks 1-77g	4.1	41.6	9.4	0.3
Weeks 8+6g	4.2	35.7	9.8	0.2

Supporting cast · Scheme

Staff and system around the player

2026 season

Head Coach

Jason Candle

Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.

Awards

Player standing · 2024

Part-time starter

Splitting first-team reps — starts some weeks, rotates others.

Recognition

Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex

Production · CFB Index Score

50 · #196 of 466 WRs

Three-star recruit. Now #196 at the position.

Career stats

Season	Team
2024	UConn	54	505	9.4	3	--
2023	Purdue	32	381	11.9	2	--
2022	Purdue	46	480	10.4	4	--
2021	Purdue	36	325	9.0	5	--
2020	Purdue	2	11	5.5	0	--
2019	Purdue	2	12	6.0	0	--
Career		172	1,714	10.0	14	--

Season	Team
2024	UConn	--	--	--	241	--
2023	Purdue	--	--	3	127	--
2022	Purdue	4	3	--	21	--
2021	Purdue	1	-4	75	109	--
2020	Purdue	--	--	381	4	--
2019	Purdue	--	--	30	--	--
Career		5	-1	489	502	--

Signature game

SIGNATURE GAME · Week 2 · 2024

W 63–17

vs Merrimack

2 rec · 21 yds

Dominant 46-point win at home against Merrimack.

With J. Fagnano — 328 yds · 5 TD · 0 INT · QBR 99.2 · 38 rush yds (5 car) · 1 TD · S. Bell — 2 rec · 105 yds · 1 TD

Signature plays

Signature plays · top plays by |EPA|

The plays that mattered most

fact

Week 6 · Temple · 1&10 · Q3 · EPA +4.56Joe Fagnano pass complete to TJ Sheffield for 58 yds for a TD (Chris Freeman KICK)
Week 11 · UAB · 3&11 · Q1 · EPA +3.13Nick Evers pass complete to TJ Sheffield for 13 yds to the UAB 41 for a 1ST down
Week 6 · Temple · 2&5 · Q1 · EPA +2.84Joe Fagnano pass complete to TJ Sheffield for 31 yds to the TEM 47 for a 1ST down
Week 1 · Maryland · 2&4 · Q3 · EPA +2.68Joseph Fagnano pass complete to TJ Sheffield for 27 yds for a TD (Chris Freeman KICK)
Week 9 · Rice · 1&10 · Q2 · EPA +2.33Nick Evers pass complete to TJ Sheffield for 28 yds to the RICE 40 for a 1ST down
Week 1 · North Carolina · 3&9 · Q1 · EPA +2.29Joe Fagnano pass complete to TJ Sheffield for 17 yds to the CONN 39 for a 1ST down
Week 2 · Merrimack · 3&6 · Q2 · EPA +2.28Joe Fagnano pass complete to TJ Sheffield for 15 yds to the CONN 41 for a 1ST down
Week 13 · Syracuse · 2&2 · Q4 · EPA +2.07Joe Fagnano pass complete to TJ Sheffield for 2 yds for a TD (Chris Freeman KICK)
Week 8 · Wake Forest · 2&10 · Q4 · EPA +1.96Nick Evers pass complete to TJ Sheffield for 12 yds to the WAKE 40 for a 1ST down
Week 9 · Rice · 3&7 · Q1 · EPA +1.76Nick Evers pass complete to TJ Sheffield for 7 yds to the CONN 36 for a 1ST down

Game log

Game log · Week-by-week

2024 season · 13 games

Box score · CFBD

Wk	Opp	REC	YDS	AVG	TD	LONG	Note
Wk 1	L 7-50@ Maryland	2	32	16.0	1	27
Wk 2	W 63-17vs Merrimack	2	21	10.5	0	15
Wk 3	L 21-26@ Duke	3	12	4.0	0	11
Wk 4	W 48-14vs Florida Atlantic	4	18	4.5	0	11
Wk 5	W 47-3vs Buffalo	4	36	9.0	0	17
Wk 6	W 29-20vs Temple	9	141	15.7	1	58	Season-high 141 yds
Wk 8	L 20-23vs Wake Forest	5	52	10.4	0	21
Wk 9	W 17-10vs Rice	3	41	13.7	0	28
Wk 10	W 34-27vs Georgia State	—	—	—	—	—
Wk 11	W 31-23@ UAB	4	38	9.5	0	13
Wk 13	L 24-31@ Syracuse	10	52	5.2	1	15
Wk 14	W 47-42@ Massachusetts	3	31	10.3	0	13
Bowl	W 27-14@ North Carolina	5	31	6.2	0	17
Total		54	505	9.6	3	58

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

TJ Sheffield

2019

202413 games

2024 snapshot

Splits & context

Awards

Part-time starter

Career stats

Signature game

Signature plays

Game log

How he plays

DNA match

Slot Technician

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