Buffalo Bills signing former WVU star Tavon Austin

Former West Virginia star Tavon Austin has officially found a new home in the National Football League. The former Jacksonville Jaguar signed a new deal with the Buffalo Bills on Thursday evening. The former Mountaineer announced the news on his Instagram, per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo.

Check out the picture of Austin signing the deal with his new team below.

The #Bills are signing WR Tavon Austin, according to a source and, well, Austin’s IG. Former eighth overall pick had 24 catches in seven games with the #Jaguars last year. pic.twitter.com/0l735Mh5tf

— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) June 3, 2022

The Bills already have a very crowded receiver room featuring the likes of Stefon Diggs, Gabriel Davis, Jamison Crowder, and they just drafted Khalil Shakir out of Boise State in the fifth round of the 2022 NFL Draft.

The Bills released Cole Beasley a few months ago in March. That doesn’t mean making the roster will be any easier for Austin. Shakir was an elite separator coming out of college and he really shined at the 2022 Senior Bowl and last year’s NFL Scouting Combine. Davis is one of the rising stars in the NFL. Jamison Crowder has also been a very solid receiver the past few years for the New York Jets.

Last year with the Jaguars, Austin hauled in 24 catches for 213 receiving yards and one touchdown. Throughout his nine-year NFL career thus far, he’s reeled in 244 catches for 2,239 receiving yards and 16 touchdowns. As a runner, Austin has 199 rushing attempts for 1,361 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns. He’s also piled up yards in the return game in the NFL, racking up 1,515 yards and three touchdowns on 190 attempts.

Tavon Austin was an electrifying star for West Virginia football

While Austin has put up decent numbers in the National Football League, he hasn’t matched the remarkable production he delivered on the college level for the West Virginia Mountaineers. It was there that he established himself as one of the best players in college football history. A dynamic all-purpose threat, Austin earned 2012 All-Purpose Performer of the Year honors. Not only that, he earned Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Year honors twice, in 2011 and 2012. The electrifying all-purpose threat was also named a first team All-American in 2011 and 2012.

After his storied college career was wrapped up, the former Mountaineer star had piled up 6,853 total all-purpose yards. Austin not only shattered records during his time in Morgantown, but firmly cemented his status in the hearts of the West Virginia fan base forever.

According to the On3 Consensus Rankings for the 2009 recruiting class, he was rated as the No. 43 receiver in the country coming out of Dunbar High School (Baltimore, Md.).