Tanner Koziol

Tanner Koziol
No. 89 – Jacksonville Jaguars
PositionTight end
Roster statusActive
Personal information
Born (2004-01-28) January 28, 2004
Listed height6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Listed weight247 lb (112 kg)
Career information
High schoolMount Vernon (Fortville, Indiana)
College
NFL draft2026: 5th round, 164th overall pick
Career history
Awards and highlights
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Tanner Koziol (born January 28, 2004) is an American professional football tight end for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Ball State Cardinals and the Houston Cougars and was selected by the Jaguars in the fifth round of the 2026 NFL draft.

Early life

Koziol attended Mount Vernon High School in Fortville, Indiana. He was rated as a three-star recruit.[1] Initially, Koziol committed to play college football for the North Dakota Fighting Hawks.[2] However, he later flipped his commitment to play for the Ball State Cardinals.[3]

College career

Ball State

As a freshman in 2022, Koziol hauled in 35 receptions for 373 yards and seven touchdowns, earning freshman all-American honors.[4] In 2023, he hauled in 34 passes for 295 yards and three touchdowns for the Cardinals, earning third-team all-Mid-American Conference (MAC) honors.[4] After the season, Koziol entered the NCAA transfer portal and transferred to play for the Louisville Cardinals before de-committing and returning to Ball State.[3] During the 2024 season, he notched 94 receptions for 839 yards and eight touchdowns and was named second-team all-MAC.[5] After the season, Koziol entered his name into the NCAA transfer portal.[6]

Wisconsin

Koziol transferred to play for the Wisconsin Badgers.[5]

Koziol transferred away from Wisconsin after 15 practices.[7]

Houston

On April 17, 2025, Koziol announced that he would transfer to Houston.[8]

In Houston's season opener against Stephen F. Austin on August 28, 2025, he recorded seven receptions for 63 yards and a touchdown before briefly exiting in the third quarter with a left leg injury, though he returned to the game. He was later cleared to play in the following game against Rice.[9]

In 2025, Koziol recorded 74 receptions for 727 yards and six touchdowns in his only season with Houston. He served as one of Houston's primary receiving targets during the season and recorded at least five receptions in 10 of 13 games played. He was ranked No. 86 on ESPN's Top 100 players of the 2025 college football season. Against Arizona State, he had seven receptions for 100 yards and a touchdown. In the 2025 Texas Bowl, he finished with nine receptions for 76 yards and one touchdown.[10][11]

In addition, he was named an All-American by Pro Football and Sports Network (PFSN) and was a semifinalist for the John Mackey Award.[12][13]

Statistics

Year Team Games Receiving
GP GS Rec Yds Avg TD
2022 Ball State 12 5 35 373 10.7 7
2023 Ball State 12 9 34 295 8.7 3
2024 Ball State 12 8 94 839 8.9 8
2025 Houston 13 13 74 727 9.8 6
Career 49 35 237 2,234 9.4 24

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span Wingspan 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump
6 ft 6+1⁄2 in
(1.99 m)		 247 lb
(112 kg)		 33+3⁄4 in
(0.86 m)		 9+3⁄4 in
(0.25 m)		 6 ft 8+3⁄4 in
(2.05 m)		 4.70 s 1.62 s 2.71 s 4.43 s 7.08 s 36.5 in
(0.93 m)		 10 ft 2 in
(3.10 m)
All values from NFL Combine/Pro Day[14][15]

Koziol was selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the fifth round with the 164th overall pick of the 2026 NFL Draft. He was the first Houston tight end selected in the NFL draft since 2010 and the ninth tight end in program history to be drafted.[16][13]

References

  1. ^ Connolly, Matt (December 14, 2024). "Ball State TE transfer Tanner Koziol commits to Wisconsin". On3.com. Retrieved December 15, 2024.
  2. ^ Guskey, Jordan (July 17, 2021). "Tanner Koziol talks about being one of the members of BSU football's 2021 recruiting class to grayshirt". The Star-Press. Retrieved December 15, 2024.
  3. ^ a b Hampton, Cade (October 15, 2024). "Ball State football: Why Tanner Koziol stayed after near transfer". The Star-Press. Retrieved December 15, 2024.
  4. ^ a b Becker, Dana (December 14, 2024). "Wisconsin football adds top transfer portal tight end in Tanner Koziol". Wisconsin Badgers on SI. Sports Illustrated. Retrieved December 15, 2024.
  5. ^ a b Olson, Max (December 14, 2024). "Tanner Koziol transferring from Ball State to Wisconsin". ESPN. Retrieved December 15, 2024.
  6. ^ Hampton, Cade (December 6, 2024). "Ball State football star tight end Tanner Koziol to enter transfer portal". The Star-Press. Retrieved December 15, 2024.
  7. ^ Blazevich, Payne (April 16, 2025). "Badgers tight end Tanner Koziol enters the transfer portal". 247Sports. Retrieved May 15, 2025.
  8. ^ Truax, Barkley (April 17, 2025). "Wisconsin transfer TE Tanner Koziol commits to Houston". On3.com. Retrieved May 15, 2025.
  9. ^ Duarte, Joseph (September 1, 2025). "UH tight end Tanner Koziol cleared to play against Rice after leg injury in opener". MSN.com. Houston Chronicle. Retrieved April 27, 2026.
  10. ^ Becker, Kolton (January 28, 2026). "Tanner Koziol Makes Cut in Top 100 Players of 2025 Season". SI.com. Sports Illustrated. Retrieved April 27, 2026.
  11. ^ Gupta, Maanav (January 2, 2026). "Tanner Koziol and Willie Fritz Developed Something Truly Special Together In Houston". SI.com. Sports Illustrated. Retrieved April 27, 2026.
  12. ^ Wersal, Carson (December 12, 2025). "Houston Cougars Tight End Earns All-American Honors". SI.com. Sports Illustrated. Retrieved April 27, 2026.
  13. ^ a b "Koziol Off Board in 5th Round of NFL Draft". UHCougars.com. University of Houston. April 25, 2026. Retrieved April 27, 2026.
  14. ^ "Tanner Koziol Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved March 14, 2026.
  15. ^ "Tanner Koziol College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved March 14, 2026.
  16. ^ "No. 164 Overall: Koziol is the Selection". Jaguars.com. April 25, 2026. Retrieved April 27, 2026.
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