Harold Fannin Jr. (born July 20, 2004) is an American college football tight end for the Bowling Green Falcons.

Harold Fannin Jr.
Bowling Green Falcons – No. 0
PositionTight end
ClassJunior
MajorConstruction Management
Personal information
Born: (2004-07-20) July 20, 2004 (age 20)
Height6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight230 lb (104 kg)
Career history
College
Bowl games
High schoolMcKinley (Canton, Ohio)
Career highlights and awards
NCAA (FBS) records
  • Most receiving yards by a Tight End in a season (1,555)
  • Most receptions by a Tight End in a season (117)
  • Most receiving yards per game by a Tight End in a season (119.615)
  • Most receptions per game by a Tight End in a season (9.0)
  • Most receiving yards in a bowl game by a Tight End (213 vs. Arkansas State, 2024 68 Ventures Bowl)
  • Most receptions in a bowl game by a Tight End (17 vs. Arkansas State, 2024 68 Ventures Bowl)
  • Tied most receptions in a game by a Tight End (17 vs. Arkansas State, 2024 68 Ventures Bowl)

Early life and high school career

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Fannin grew up in Canton, Ohio and attended McKinley High School.[2] He was named first-team All-Ohio as a senior at defensive back after making 106 tackles with two interceptions, six forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries, and two defensive touchdowns and was also an All-Federal League selection on offense after catching 36 passes for 601 yards and six touchdowns.[3] Fannin committed to play college football at Bowling Green.[4]

College career

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Freshman Season - 2022

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Harold Fannin Jr. began his collegiate career with the Bowling Green Falcons in 2022, appearing in 11 games as a freshman. He recorded 19 receptions for 218 yards and one touchdown, showing flashes of his potential early in his career.[5][6]

Sophomore Season - 2023

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In 2023, Fannin emerged as one of the top offensive threats for Bowling Green. He finished the season with 44 receptions for 623 yards and six touchdowns, earning first-team All-Mid-American Conference (MAC) honors. [7]

Junior Season - 2024

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Fannin entered the 2024 season on the preseason John Mackey Award Watch List, signaling expectations for him as one of the top tight ends in college football. He delivered on those expectations in historic fashion, rewriting both program and FBS record books throughout the year.[8]

Key Performances

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Week 2 vs. Penn State: Fannin recorded 11 receptions for 137 yards and a touchdown, becoming the only player during the regular season to post 100+ receiving yards against the Nittany Lions' defense.[9]

Week 4 vs. Texas A&M: He amassed 145 yards on eight catches with a touchdown, earning John Mackey and MAC Offensive Player of the Week honors.[10][11]

Week 5 vs. Old Dominion: Fannin set a school record for single-game receiving yards by a tight end with 193 yards on 12 receptions, breaking a record set in 1983. He also surpassed Bowling Green's career touchdown record for tight ends in this game.[12]

Week 7 vs. Kent State: He surpassed Alex Bayer's career receiving yards mark for tight ends at Bowling Green, finishing the game with 171 yards on ten catches.[13]

Fannin finished the season with eight 100-yard receiving games out of 13, leading the nation in receptions and receiving yards. His dominance earned him first-team All-MAC honors for the second consecutive year, and he became a finalist for the John Mackey Award after leading all FBS tight ends in receptions, receiving yards, and touchdowns.

He shared the nation's lead in 100-yard receiving games with Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter in 2024. Fannin also led the nation's tight ends and was No. 2 overall in 100-yard receiving games against Associated Press Top-25 teams.[14]

National Recognition and FBS Records

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Fannin's 2024 season was historic. He set multiple FBS records for tight ends, including:

Breaking Texas Tech's Jace Amaro's single-season receiving yards by a tight end set in 2013. Fannin finished with 1,555 receiving yards. Fannin also broke Rice's James Casey's single-season receptions by a tight end set in 2018. Fannin finished with 117 receptions. Fannin also set the FBS tight end single-season standard in receiving yards per game (119.6) and single-season receptions per game (9.0).

His 117 receptions tied Alabama’s DeVonta Smith (2020) for 24th in FBS single-season history. Fannin also became the first tight end in FBS history to led the nation in both receptions and receiving yards. While he is the first tight end to lead the nation in receiving yards per game (119.6), he joins Purdue's Dave Young (American football) in 1980 as the only tight ends to lead the nation in receptions per game. Young hailed fro Akron, which is located near Fannin's hometown of Canton.[15][16]

Fannin also had a standout performance in the 2024 68 Ventures Bowl, recording 17 receptions for 213 yards—a single-game bowl record for tight ends. Fannin was named MVP of the 68 Ventures Bowl for his efforts[17][18]

Throughout the season, he led FBS tight ends in over 100 statistical categories, including also leading all receivers in receptions of 10+ yards (63), broken tackles (34) and yards after catch (873). He also led all FBS players in receptions per game (9.0) and receiving yards per game (119.6). Fannin led the nation in over 20 different categories.

Fannin had the highest graded overall player by Pro Football Focus (PFF) at 96.1 as well as the highest graded receiver in the nation by PFF at 96.6. He was strong in the blocking game as he was also the highest graded pass-catching tight end in run-blocking with a grade of 73.7. [19]

Awards and Achievements

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Fannin became the first tight end in FBS history to win a conference’s Player of the Year award, claiming the MAC Vern Smith Leadership Award. He also earned MAC Offensive Player of the Year honors, joining Marco Battaglia (Rutgers, 1995) as the only tight ends to win a conference Offensive Player of the Year award.[20]

Fannin became the first Consensus All-American in Bowling Green history, earning first-team All-America honors from the Walter Camp Football Foundation, American Football Coaches Association, Associated Press and Football Writers Association of America (the latter as a wide receiver).[21]

Declaring for the NFL Draft

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On December 30, 2024, Fannin announced via Instagram that he would forego his senior season and declare for the 2025 NFL Draft.[22]

Senior Bowl

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Fannin accepted an invite to play in the 2025 Senior Bowl. Fannin is the eighth Falcon all-time to appear in the Senior Bowl and the third under BGSU head coach Scot Loeffler. Quintin Morris in 2021 and Karl Brooks in 2023 were the other Falcons that played for Loeffler at BGSU that appeared in the Senior Bowl[23]

Statistics

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Led NCAA Division I FBS
Bold Career best
Bowling Green Falcons
Season Games Receiving Rushing
GP GS Rec Yards Avg TD Att Yards Avg TD
2022 12 1 19 218 11.5 1 10 53 5.3 4
2023 11 8 44 623 14.2 6 14 41 2.9 0
2024 13 12 117 1,555 13.3 10 9 65 7.2 1
Career 36 21 180 2,396 13.3 17 33 159 4.8 5

References

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  1. ^ @Michael_Burwell (December 27, 2024). "BGSU tight end Harold Fannin Jr. was named MVP of the 68 Ventures Bowl" (Tweet). Retrieved December 27, 2024 – via Twitter.
  2. ^ "McKinley's Harold Fannin has something to say — with his play". The Repository. August 12, 2021. Retrieved September 7, 2024.
  3. ^ "Canton McKinley's Harold Fannin, North Canton Hoover's Brian Baum lead All-Federal League football honors". The Repository. November 11, 2021. Retrieved September 7, 2024.
  4. ^ "'Definition of a football player': McKinley star Harold Fannin commits to Bowling Green". The Repository. April 8, 2022. Retrieved September 7, 2024.
  5. ^ Kinnan, Cory (June 12, 2024). "A 2025 NFL Draft gem is hidden at Bowling Green State University". SI.com. Retrieved September 7, 2024.
  6. ^ "Fannin thriving for BGSU football while mourning loss of sister". Toledo Blade. November 11, 2023. Retrieved September 7, 2024.
  7. ^ Burwell, Michael (July 29, 2024). "Solid offseason has BGSU standout Fannin primed for another big year". Toledo Blade. Retrieved September 7, 2024.
  8. ^ "Harold Fannin Jr. BGSU Bio". BGSUFalcons.com. Retrieved January 26, 2025.
  9. ^ "Harold Fannin Jr. BGSU Bio". BGSUFalcons.com. Retrieved January 26, 2025.
  10. ^ "MAC Announces Week 4 Football Players of the Week". getsomemaction.com. Mid-American Conference. September 23, 2024. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
  11. ^ "Fannin honored nationally with Mackey Award". sent-trib.com. Sentinel-Tribune. September 26, 2024. Retrieved September 30, 2024.
  12. ^ "Harold Fannin Jr. BGSU Bio". BGSUFalcons.com. Retrieved January 26, 2025.
  13. ^ "Harold Fannin Jr. BGSU Bio". BGSUFalcons.com. Retrieved January 26, 2025.
  14. ^ "Harold Fannin Jr. BGSU Bio". BGSUFalcons.com. Retrieved January 26, 2025.
  15. ^ "Harold Fannin Jr. BGSU Bio". BGSUFalcons.com. Retrieved January 26, 2025.
  16. ^ "LEGENDARY PURDUE TIGHT END DAVE YOUNG PASSES AWAY". PurdueSports.com.
  17. ^ "Harold Fannin Jr. BGSU Bio". BGSUFalcons.com. Retrieved January 26, 2025.
  18. ^ "Fannin Breaks Two FBS Season Records As Falcons Conclude 2024 Season At 68 Ventures Bowl". BGSUFalcons.com.
  19. ^ "Harold Fannin Jr. BGSU Bio". BGSUFalcons.com. Retrieved January 26, 2025.
  20. ^ "Harold Fannin Jr. BGSU Bio". BGSUFalcons.com. Retrieved January 26, 2025.
  21. ^ "Harold Fannin Jr. BGSU Bio". BGSUFalcons.com. Retrieved January 26, 2025.
  22. ^ Adelson, Andrea. "Bowling Green Star Harold Fannin Declares for the NFL Draft". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 30, 2024.
  23. ^ "Bowling Green's Harold Fannin Jr. Accepts Senior Bowl Invite". BGSUFalcons.com.
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