Tulsa running back Tahj Gary enters NCAA Transfer Portal

Tulsa running back Tahj Gary entered the NCAA Transfer Portal on Wednesday evening, On3 has learned. He began his college football career with the Virginia Tech Hokies. Last year for the Golden Hurricane, he had 33 carries for 187 yards with two touchdowns. Gary also hauled in one catch for four yards.

He transferred to Tulsa from Virginia Tech in the summer of 2022. In 2022, he played in three games for Tulsa, missing the final nine games due to injury. Gary finished with 61 yards on 14 carries, tallying a season-high of 36 yards on eight carries vs. NIU.

During his three years with the Virginia Tech Hokies, he only played in three games. In 2019, his freshman year in Blacksburg, Gary had four carries for 24 yards in his collegiate debut vs. the Rhode Island Rams. He also saw some limited snaps against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.

In high school, Gary was a versatile weapon, suiting up at a number of different positions for Woodward Academy. He saw playing time at safety on defense, while also seeing snaps at running back and receiver on offense. A dominant runner in high school, he racked up more than 3,200 career rushing yards and 48 touchdowns. As a senior, he ran for 1,219 yards and 13 touchdowns, while also hauling in 27 catches with seven touchdowns through the air. Gary earned Class 4A Player of the Year honors in 2017 and 2018, also bringing home Woodward Academy’s 2017 Offensive Player of the Year honors.

Tulsa went 4-8 overall this year, including a 2-6 record in the AAC. It was the first year under their new head coach, Kevin Wilson.

He was the Frank Broyles Award winner in 2008, when he helped guide the Oklahoma Sooners to the BCS National Championship Game. His up-tempo and no-huddle offense had the Sooners put up at least 60 points in every one of their five conference games. Their quarterback, Sam Bradford, won the Heisman Trophy.

Before joining Tulsa, Wilson spent from 2017-2022 with the Ohio State Buckeyes, where his offenses were once again dominant. His offense produced back-to-back Heisman Trophy finalists: Dwayne Haskins and Justin Fields, the first 2,000-yard rusher in school history (J.K. Dobbins), and the fifth 1,000-yard receiver in school history (Parris Campbell).