Tay Gowan

Tay Gowan
Personal information
Born: (1998-01-07) January 7, 1998 (age 27)
Covington, Georgia, U.S.
Height:6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight:185 lb (84 kg)
Career information
High school:Newton
(Covington, Georgia)
College:
Position:Cornerback
NFL draft:2021 / round: 6 / pick: 223
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career NFL statistics as of 2023
Total tackles:2
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Tay Gowan (born January 7, 1998) is an American professional football cornerback. He played college football at UCF and was selected by the Arizona Cardinals in the sixth round of the 2021 NFL draft.

Early life

Gowan grew up in Covington, Georgia and attended Newton High School.[1] As a high school senior, he earned First-team All-State honors as a defensive back after posting four interceptions and 15 pass breakups.[2]

College career

Gowan began his collegiate career at Miami University, where he redshirted as a true freshman and saw little playing time the following season.[3] He left the program after his redshirt freshman season and enrolled at Butler Community College. In his lone season at Butler, he intercepted six passes and was named All-Jayhawk Conference.[4] Gowan committed to transfer to the University of Central Florida.[5]

Gowan began his first season with the Knights as a reserve defensive back, but became a starter due to injuries.[6] He finished the season with 31 tackles, two interceptions, eight passes broken up and one fumble recovery while allowing 20 catches on 50 passes thrown into his coverage.[7] Gowan opted out of the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic and declared early for the 2021 NFL draft.[8][9]

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
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
6 ft 0+7⁄8 in
(1.85 m) 		186 lb
(84 kg) 		31+1⁄8 in
(0.79 m) 		8+1⁄2 in
(0.22 m)		 4.49 s 1.55 s 2.52 s 4.27 s 6.86 s 35.5 in
(0.90 m)		 9 ft 10 in
(3.00 m)		 13 reps
All values from Pro Day[10][11]

Arizona Cardinals

Gowan was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the sixth round, 223rd overall, of the 2021 NFL Draft.[12] Gowan signed his four-year rookie contract with Arizona on May 25, 2021.[13]

Philadelphia Eagles

Gowan was traded along with a fifth round pick in the 2022 NFL draft to the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for tight end Zach Ertz on October 15, 2021.[14] He was waived on August 30, 2022.[15]

Minnesota Vikings

Gowan signed with the practice squad of the Minnesota Vikings on September 1, 2022.[16][17] Gowan was elevated to active roster from the practice squad on November 19, 2022.[18] He signed a reserve/future contract on January 16, 2023.[19] On August 28, 2023, he was waived.[20]

Tennessee Titans

On October 9, 2023, Gowan was signed to the Tennessee Titans practice squad.[21] Following the end of the 2023 regular season, the Titans signed him to a reserve/future contract on January 8, 2024.[22]

Gowan was waived by the Titans on August 26, 2024.[23]

References

  1. ^ Schmetzer, Mark (August 28, 2016). "Coach: RedHawks improve size and strength on Signing Day". Dayton Daily News.
  2. ^ "Tay Gowan - 2020 - Football". UCF Athletics. Retrieved January 5, 2022.
  3. ^ "UCF cornerback Tay Gowan ready to emerge on national stage". August 12, 2020.
  4. ^ Murphy, Brian (September 4, 2019). "UCF turns to Tay Gowan, Zamari Maxwell to help offset loss of Brandon Moore". Orlando Sentinel.
  5. ^ "UCF lands commitment from JUCO DB".
  6. ^ "Tay Gowan shines in corner debut".
  7. ^ "NFL Draft Prospect Spotlight: Tay Gowan". SI.com.
  8. ^ "Tay Gowan shares why he opted out, declares for NFL draft". Orlando Sentinel. September 2, 2020.
  9. ^ Adelson, Andrea (April 13, 2021). "NFL Draft 2021 - College football opt outs create an unprecedented challenge for NFL scouts, execs". ESPN.com.
  10. ^ "Tay Gowan Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved December 19, 2021.
  11. ^ "Tay Gowan, Central Florida, CB, 2021 NFL Draft Scout, NCAA College Football". draftscout.com. Retrieved December 19, 2021.
  12. ^ Odegard, Kyle (May 1, 2021). "Cardinals Add Gowan, Dimukeje, Wiggins, Menet In Late Rounds". AZCardinals.com. Retrieved May 7, 2021.
  13. ^ "Former UCF corner Tay Gowan agrees to 4-year, $3.6 million contract with Arizona Cardinals". OrlandoSentinal.com.
  14. ^ Spadaro, Dave (October 15, 2021). "Eagles trade all-time great Zach Ertz to Arizona Cardinals". philadelphiaeagles.com. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
  15. ^ McPherson, Chris (August 30, 2022). "Eagles announce initial 53-man roster". PhiladelphiaEagles.com.[permanent dead link‍]
  16. ^ "Vikings Add Receiver & Cornerback to Practice Squad". Vikings.com. September 1, 2022.
  17. ^ Gowan, Tay [@focused_4] (August 31, 2022). "@Vikings Thankful for the opportunity" (Tweet). Retrieved August 31, 2022 – via Twitter.
  18. ^ "Vikings Sign TE Nick Muse to Active Roster; Announce Roster Moves". Vikings.com. November 19, 2022.
  19. ^ Peters, Craig (January 16, 2023). "Vikings Sign 6 Players to Futures Contracts". Vikings.com.
  20. ^ "Vikings Begin Roster Reductions Ahead of Final Roster Cut Deadline". Vikings.com. August 28, 2023.
  21. ^ "Titans add two to practice squad among 4 moves". Titans Wire. USA Today. October 10, 2023.
  22. ^ Wyatt, Jim (January 8, 2024). "Titans Sign Six Players to Reserve/Futures Contracts". TennesseeTitans.com. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  23. ^ Wyatt, Jim. "Titans Waive Nine Players as Roster Cuts Begin Ahead of Tuesday's Deadline". tennesseetitans.com. Retrieved August 27, 2024.