Brevyn Spann-Ford (born December 27, 1999) is an American professional football tight end for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Minnesota Golden Gophers and was signed by the Cowboys as an undrafted free agent after the 2024 NFL draft.
 Spann-Ford in 2024 | |
| No. 89 – Dallas Cowboys | |
|---|---|
| Position: | Tight end |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | December 27, 1999 St. Cloud, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Height: | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) |
| Weight: | 270 lb (122 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school: | Technical Senior (St. Cloud, Minnesota) |
| College: | Minnesota (2018–2023) |
| Undrafted: | 2024 |
| Career history | |
| |
| Roster status: | Active |
| Stats at Pro Football Reference | |
Early life
editSpann-Ford grew up in St. Cloud, Minnesota and attended Technical Senior High School. He played football as well as basketball and averaged 13.7 points per game, 8.2 rebounds per game, and 3.8 assists per game.[1] Spann-Ford committed to play college football at the University of Minnesota over other schools such as Missouri, Iowa State, West Virginia, and North Dakota State.[2][3]
| College recruiting information (2018) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date | |
| Brevyn Spann-Ford TE |
St. Cloud | Technical Senior High School | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 270 lb (120 kg) | Jun 2, 2017 | |
Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 75
| ||||||
College career
editIn Spann-Ford's first season in 2018, he redshirted and only played in four games not recording any statistics.[4] In 2019 in a game against Illinois, Spann-Ford recorded his first catch, a 12-yard touchdown reception, as he helped the Golden Gophers beat Illinois 24–17.[5] Spann-Ford finished the 2019 season with four receptions for 25 yards and a touchdown.[6] In the 2020 season, Spann-Ford caught a four-yard touchdown pass to help Minnesota beat Nebraska 24–17.[7][8] Spann-Ford finished the 2020 season playing in only one game, catching one pass for four yards and a touchdown.[9] Spann-Ford began the 2021 season strong, hauling in three receptions for 44 yards, but the Golden Gophers lost to #4 Ohio State 45–31.[10] In week seven, Spann-Ford brought in three passes for 23 yards and a touchdown to help Minnesota survive Nebraska 30–23.[11] He caught four receptions for 49 yards in week 10 as Minnesota lost 14–6 to Illinois.[12] In week twelve, Spann-Ford made three receptions for 67 yards, as he helped the Golden Gophers dominate Indiana 35–14.[13] Spann-Ford closed the season strong, as in week thirteen he brought in three receptions for 62 yards, helping Minnesota beat rival #18 Wisconsin 23–13.[14] Spann-Ford would finish his 2021 season with 23 receptions for 296 yards and a touchdown, in ten games.[15] Spann-Ford started the 2022 season off to a strong start, as in week two, he caught three passes for 64 yards and a touchdown, as he helped Minnesota beat Western Illinois.[16] Later in week five, Spann-Ford brought in three receptions for 53 yards, but the Golden Gophers fell to Purdue 20–10.[17] In week eight, Spann-Ford hauled in five receptions for 68 yards and the first career touchdown pass from quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis, but Minnesota was dismantled by Penn State 45–17.[18][19] In the team's season finale, Spann-Ford had one of the best performances of his career, catching seven passes for 95 yards, helping Minnesota beat rival Wisconsin 23–16.[20] Spann-Ford finished the season with 47 receptions for 497 yards and two touchdowns.[21] For his performance on the season, Spann-Ford was named an honorable all Big-Ten mention.[22][23] After the conclusion of the 2022 season, Spann-Ford announced that he would return to Minnesota for the 2023 season.[24][25] Spann-Ford was named to the first team all Big-Ten preseason team.[26][27] Spann-Ford was also named a preseason second-team All-American by the Walter Camp Football Foundation.[28]
College statistics
edit| Season | Games | Receiving | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Rec | Yards | Avg | TD | |
| Minnesota Golden Gophers | ||||||
| 2018 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 |
| 2019 | 12 | 0 | 4 | 25 | 6.3 | 1 |
| 2020 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 4.0 | 1 |
| 2021 | 13 | 3 | 23 | 296 | 12.9 | 1 |
| 2022 | 13 | 13 | 42 | 497 | 11.8 | 2 |
| 2023 | 11 | 11 | 25 | 239 | 9.6 | 2 |
| Career | 49 | 17 | 75 | 867 | 11.6 | 5 |
Professional career
edit| 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 6+1⁄2 in (1.99 m) |
260 lb (118 kg) |
33+3⁄8 in (0.85 m) |
10+1⁄4 in (0.26 m) |
4.77 s | 1.67 s | 2.77 s | 4.51 s | 7.38 s | 31.5 in (0.80 m) |
9 ft 8 in (2.95 m) |
18 reps | |
| All values from NFL Combine/Pro Day[29][30] | ||||||||||||
Spann-Ford signed as an undrafted free agent with the Dallas Cowboys following the 2024 NFL draft.[31] As a UDFA, Spann-Ford notably made the Cowboys' 53 man roster out of training camp.
References
edit- ^ "Brevyn Spann-ford's Stats". MaxPreps.com. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
- ^ Christensen, Joe (June 3, 2017). "Gophers land two more in-state recruits -- Brevyn Spann-Ford and Josh Aune". Star Tribune. Retrieved July 16, 2024.
- ^ Jessen-Howard, Matt. "Brevyn Spann-Ford commits to Minnesota". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
- ^ "Brevyn Spann-Ford". Minnesota University Athletics. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
- ^ Bahns, Carter. "Five takeaways from Minnesota's dominating victory over Illinois". 247Sports. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
- ^ "Brevyn Spann-Ford 2019 Game Logs". Sports Reference. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
- ^ Dyer, Kristian. "Minnesota takes halftime lead over Nebraska thanks to Brevyn Spann-Ford's first TD catch of 2020". Saturday Tradition. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
- ^ "FINAL: Minnesota 24, Nebraska 17". 1011 Now. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
- ^ "Brevyn Spann-Ford 2020 Game Logs". Sports Reference. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
- ^ "No. 4 Ohio State outlasts Minnesota 45-31 in Stroud's debut". CBS Sports. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
- ^ "Missed opportunities hurt Huskers in 30-23 loss to Minnesota". CBS Sports. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
- ^ "Defense dominates for Illinois in 14-6 win at Minnesota". CBS Sports. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
- ^ "Gophers knock out Hoosiers with 1st-half flurry, win 35-14". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
- ^ "Minnesota chops down No. 18 Wisconsin 23-13 to take back Axe". CBS Sports. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
- ^ "Brevyn Spann-Ford 2021 Game Logs". Sports Reference. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
- ^ "Morgan, Minnesota air it out in 62-10 romp past W. Illinois". CBS Sports. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
- ^ "Spoilermakers: Purdue stifles No. 21 Minnesota for 20-10 win". CBS Sports. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
- ^ Johnson, Travis. "Clifford passes for 4 TDs, No. 16 Penn State beats Minnesota". AP News. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
- ^ Gransee, Tyler. "3 Takeaways from Minnesota Football's blowout loss to Penn State". Saturday Blitz. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
- ^ "Minnesota rallies late to beat Wisconsin 23-16, keep Axe". CBS Sports. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
- ^ "Brevyn Spann-Ford 2022 Game Logs". Sports Reference. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
- ^ "Gophers RB Ibrahim, C Schmitz named consensus first-team All-Big Ten". Bally Sports. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
- ^ James, Ryan. "Ten Things to Like About the Return of Brevyn Spann-Ford". 247Sports. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
- ^ Greder, Andy. "Brevyn Spann-Ford will return to Gophers football program for 2023". Twin Cities. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
- ^ Johnson, Randy. "Gophers tight end Brevyn Spann-Ford announces he'll return next season". Star Tribune. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
- ^ Johnson, Randy. "Gophers safety Tyler Nubin, tight end Brevyn Spann-Ford nab Big Ten preseason honors". Star Tribune. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
- ^ Rennecke, Andy. "Brevyn Spann-Ford named to Big Ten preseason honors list". St. Cloud Live. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
- ^ Callaghan-Croley, Dylan (March 31, 2023). "Minnesota TE Breyvn Spann-Ford named preseason All-American". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
- ^ "Brevyn Spann-Ford Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
- ^ "2024 NFL Draft Scout Brevyn Spann-Ford College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
- ^ "Gophers tight end Brevyn Spann-Ford signs with Dallas Cowboys". Twin Cities. April 28, 2024. Retrieved April 29, 2024.