AMARILLO — On Wednesday, Dec. 4, Tascosa football star TJ Tillman signed to play college football at the University of Texas at El Paso.
Tillman’s signing was part of early signing day across the country, a date that allows high school seniors to ink letters of intent to their future school before the traditional February signing day. Tillman’s signing comes just a few weeks after the Rebels’ star committed to UTEP, but the versatile athlete’s journey to El Paso wasn’t as simple as it may seem.
Tillman was committed to another program in the area before the Miners, and had to reconsider where he wanted to continue his playing career. After racking up offers from a number of schools around the country, the Tascosa defensive back found his future home in west Texas after a visit to campus with a few familiar faces.
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Tillman’s first offer and commitment
Tillman was quickly identified by Division I coaches as a talented prospect, picking up his first offer from Texas Tech after his sophomore year of high school.
The skilled two-way player earned offers from Stephen F. Austin State and Texas State in the coming months, but ultimately committed to the Red Raiders on Dec. 24, 2023. In addition to TTU being just a few hours from Tillman’s hometown of Amarillo, the senior said that the staff’s belief in him was another factor in his commitment.
“It was my first offer, they were showing me a lot of love,” Tillman said on Wednesday. “Really the only Power 4 offer I had, at the time, so I was just thinking really big.
On June 17, 2024, Tillman posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, that he was backing off of his pledge to the Red Raiders.
The journey to UTEP
UTEP initially offered Tillman on Jan. 29, 2024, and despite the three-star playmaker’s verbal commitment to Texas Tech, head coach Scotty Walden and the Miners kept pushing for the Rebels’ star wide receiver and defensive back.
Less than a month after his deciding to back off of his pledge to Texas Tech, Tillman posted a “top four” list on X that included Houston, Vanderbilt, Georgia Tech and UTSA. Even though UTEP seemed out of contention for the skilled athlete again, Walden and company consistently communicated with Tillman and continued to recruit the senior.
After months of UTEP pushing for the Tascosa star, a trip to campus changed the outlook of Tillman’s recruitment.
“It was one of the most energetic campuses I’ve ever been on,” Tillman said. “They really push for their recruits, they bring out all the stops. Of course, El Paso is a great city. I love it. The food is great, people are great, the Sun Bowl is a great stadium, it’s a great place to be, for sure.
The Rebels’ wide receiver and defensive back visited UTEP’s campus for his official visit in early November, the same weekend as District 3-5A Division I foes Ryland Bradford of Abilene High and Allen Gant of Coronado. Gant and Bradford are also members of the Miners’ 2025 recruiting class, and Tillman noted that he enjoyed getting to take his visit with multiple players he had competed against before.
Walden and his staff’s consistent effort showed once again on Tillman’s recruiting visit, and the coveted defensive back acknowledged that UTEP’s unwavering commitment to him ultimately held weight in his decision. Tillman is confident that the Miners’ staff is building a strong program at UTEP, calling Walden an up-and-coming coaching in college football.
Tillman’s father, Tae Tillman, also made the trek to El Paso and seemed to enjoy the visit, developing a good relationship with the team’s staff.
“There was so much hospitality,” Tillman said. “I felt that the coaches are going to take care of my son, so it was kind of a no-brainer. We enjoyed the trip, the took care of us. It felt like home.”
How Tillman’s time at Tascosa prepared him for the next level
Tillman’s signing continues a long line of Division I football players to come from Tascosa.
The three-star prospect credited playing alongside Division I recruits like Major Everhart, Avion Carter and others for helping him develop into an FBS football player. Everhart plays wide receiver for TCU and Carter plays along the Horned Frogs’ defensive line.
Tillman competed against high-level players in practice every day at Tascosa and was given an example of the work ethic required to play at the next level
“Everyday when I first got here,” Tillman said. “Seeing guys like Major, Avion going through and seeing how they come in to work every day definitely set a standard for my years.”
Playing under Rebels’ head coach Ken Plunk has also helped prepare Tillman for his career at UTEP. Plunk has helped a number of players reach the Division I level throughout his career, including his son, Joseph Plunk, who is currently a defensive back at Texas Tech.
Tillman said that his head coach taught him how to remain calm in the game’s biggest moments and how to carry himself.
Plunk noted that, in addition to his program’s talent level, strong coaching, established success, having connections and a proven track record after sending so many players to Division I schools has helped Tascosa become a common recruiting ground for Division I football teams.
“We have a good system here at Tascosa,” Plunk said. “A lot of connections with colleges because we’ve had so many kids go play Division I football. So, from our standpoint it’s, when we tell you a guy can play and we tell you what he’s about, the coaches are going to believe it because we’ve sent so many guys out. And our guys that we’ve sent out, King Doerue and guys like that, have all been successful, and it goes all the way back to Tion Wright. He was really our first one here, was at Baylor. Then we had string, really, of about, I think, 11 of the last 12 years we’ve put (out) at least one Division I player in football.”
After registering 21 catches for 471 yards and eight touchdowns on offense and 62 tackles, two tackles for loss, one forced fumble, 16 pass breakups and a kickoff return touchdown as a senior with the Rebels, Tillman will play defensive back and return kicks for the Miners.
After a solid four-year career at Tascosa, Tillman heads to El Paso in January as an early enrollee to start his time at UTEP in the spring 2025 semester.
This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Tascosa football star TJ Tillman signs with UTEP on early siging day
