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That’s Pronounced... Tah-JAY, not Tah-JEE or Tah-ZHAY or Tar-ZHAY.
2015 Stats: Fullwood played all 13 games. He recorded 38 tackles, one for loss, broke up two passes, and forced two fumbles. Tajee also took over as USF’s primary punt returner. He averaged 10.4 yards per return on 19 returns, the second best average in the American. Although he didn’t score a touchdown, he brought one punt back to FSU’s 11-yard line and another back to SMU’s 5.
Position on Depth Chart: Tajee is listed as USF’s starting free safety and punt returner on the post-spring depth chart. He got a boost on the defensive depth chart because of Devin Abraham's injury during spring practice.
How He Came To USF: Fullwood played at Tampa Bay Technical High School. He was a jack of all trades for the Titans, appearing as a wide receiver, running back, defensive back, and kick returner. It’s easier to list all his stats as bullet points, so here you go:
- 35 receptions for 568 yards
- 29 carries for 222 yards
- 15 kickoff returns for 549 yards
- 46 tackles, six INT, 11 passes defensed, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries
- Eight total touchdowns (mostly on defense and special teams)
Tajee was a Class 7A all-state honorable mention honoree and had offers from Arizona, Florida State, Louisville, Ole Miss, Rutgers, and Tennessee among others. But he stuck with his early commitment to USF and made it official on signing day in 2014.
Recruiting Rankings: All four major recruiting sites gave Fullwood three stars.
Projected Playing Time: Tajee is going to be very busy this year. He will feature regularly in the Bullsharks’ secondary whether he starts or not. And unless the coaches decide he’s too valuable to the defense, he’ll stay on the field when his teammates come off it to return punts. Fullwood also played on the kick coverage teams last year, but now that he’s a defensive starter, that might come to an end.
Follow Him On... We don’t think Fullwood has a Twitter feed. His Instagram is private, but it’s at stick_tre13 if you want to try and follow him.
Trivia: The only other player from Tampa Bay Tech to ever get on the field for USF was punter Ilya Petrov. He appeared in only one game, the 2006 season opener against McNeese State. His first punt went only 25 yards. He dropped the next snap, picked it up and tried to kick it but missed. The Cowboys recovered it in the end zone for a touchdown. Petrov never played again.