TCU wide receiver JD Spielman has retired from football, Gary Patterson says
JD Spielman is hanging up his cleats.
The TCU wide receiver met with coach Gary Patterson on Monday and decided to call it a career.
“JD is going to retire,” Patterson said during his news conference on Tuesday.
Patterson said Spielman had talks with his family over the weekend and then Patterson when a decision had been reached.
“He’s had lingering (injuries),” Patterson said. “For five (more games), it’s just not worth it. It’s just what’s best for him going forward.
“He’s had a great career at Nebraska and then TCU. He’s been a great teammate. He’s been hanging around. He’s been motivational. He’s been all of the above. If I was in his situation, I’m not sure I wouldn’t do the same thing to be honest with you.”
Spielman has battled injuries since joining TCU in 2020. He had eight catches for 125 yards and two touchdowns in four games this season. His highlight play might’ve been an 87-yard kickoff return to open the Texas game.
Spielman, who is the son of Minnesota Vikings general manager Rick Spielman, talked about his desire to return to TCU earlier this season. He played in just three games last year, finishing with five catches for 56 yards before a shoulder injury ended it early.
“They gave me a chance to come here and play and unfortunately I got hurt in the third game,” he said. “That’s part of just playing football. I really felt like I owed it to them to come back and give them everything I have. On top of that, I love my team and teammates. I want to do everything I can to help them get one more successful season before those seniors leave as well.”
Spielman came to Fort Worth after three standout seasons at Nebraska.
Spielman was on pace to become Nebraska’s all-time leading receiver when he decided to transfer. He was just 201 yards shy of setting the record.
Over his three seasons with the Huskers, Spielman had 170 catches for 2,546 yards and 15 touchdowns. He was the first receiver in program history to record three straight seasons with at least 800 yards receiving.
TCU still has depth at the slot receiver position. Taye Barber and Derius Davis provide a similar skill set as Spielman.
Barber is second on the team in receiving yards with 276 yards on 17 receptions. He also has two touchdowns. Davis, who has emerged as the team’s No. 1 returner, has 194 yards receiving and one TD on 16 receptions.
Davis is averaging 32.6 yards on kickoff returns, including a 100-yard TD return to open last week’s loss against West Virginia. He’s averaging 12.6 yards on punt returns.
TCU (3-4, 1-3 Big 12) travels to Kansas State (4-3, 1-3) on Saturday. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. in Manhattan.
This story was originally published October 26, 2021 at 12:22 PM.
