Huskies Land B1G Transfer WR
UConn football added another big piece, or rather B1G piece, to its receiving corp, as Purdue WR TJ Sheffield committed to the Huskies. Sheffield, a 5’11 190 lb graduate from Thompson’s Station TN, will have one year of eligibility remaining. Sheffield initially committed to Michigan State in December, but never made it to East Lansing, as he finished up classes in West Lafayette. He announced his decommitment from the Spartans March 14th.
Sheffield was a three star recruit out of HS, and had committed early on in the process to Tennessee, before decommitting and committing to Notre Dame. He would back off that pledge, and eventually land with Purdue. He played in a few games as a true freshman, catching two passes against Minnesota for 12 yards. In an abbreviated 2020 season, he appeared in all six games for the Boilermakers, catching two more passes, but found his role as a kick returner, averaging 20.9 yards per return, including a long of 41 against Nebraska.
As a sophomore in 2021, he led the team in kickoff and punt return yards, and saw a bigger role as a WR. He caught 36 passes for 325 yards and 5 TDs, including a catch against UConn in a 49-0 victory in East Hartford. 2022 was his best collegiate season thus far, catching 46 passes for 480 yards, and 4 TDs. He was mainly a WR in that season, but would begin to return punts again in 2023, where he returned 15 punts for 127 yards, in addition to catching 32 passes for 381 yards and 2 TDs, good for second on the team.
Sheffield joins a WR room in Storrs that has struggled to retain its top receivers the past couple of seasons. He joins fellow B1G transfer Skyler Bell, and returnee Brett Buckman as candidates for the most targets. Perhaps more importantly, he can help jumpstart a stagnant punt return unit, that struggled to return punts in meaningful fashion last year, usually just calling for fair catches. He fits with what new QB Coach Brad Robbins mentioned in his interview with Storrs Central, in that he wants to get the ball to playmakers, however that needs to happen. Based on his highlights, he’s a guy that can make great plays by executing base plays. (see our interview with him here)
Check out his highlights in the video below. You’ll see the speed, athleticism, and the ability to make a catch in coverage that should excite Huskies fans. Reminds me of Noel Thomas Jr.