Tay Gowan
PositionCornerback
Birth dateJanuary 7, 1998 (age 28)
Birth placeCovington, Georgia, U.S.
Height6 ft
Height in2
Weight lb185
High schoolNewton (Covington, Georgia)
College
Draftyear2021
Draftround6
Draftpick223
Pastteams
Statseason2023
Statlabel 1Total tackles
Statvalue 12
Statlabel 2Forced fumbles
Statlabel 3Fumble recoveries
Statlabel 4Pass deflections
Statlabel 5Interceptions
PfrGowaTa00

Tay Gowan (born January 7, 1998) is an American professional football cornerback. He played college football at UCF and was selected by the Arizona Cardinals in the sixth round of the 2021 NFL draft.

Early life

Gowan grew up in Covington, Georgia and attended Newton High School.[1] As a high school senior, he earned First-team All-State honors as a defensive back after posting four interceptions and 15 pass breakups.[2]

College career

Gowan began his collegiate career at Miami University, where he redshirted as a true freshman and saw little playing time the following season.[3] He left the program after his redshirt freshman season and enrolled at Butler Community College. In his lone season at Butler, he intercepted six passes and was named All-Jayhawk Conference.[4] Gowan committed to transfer to the University of Central Florida.[5]

Gowan began his first season with the Knights as a reserve defensive back, but became a starter due to injuries.[6] He finished the season with 31 tackles, two interceptions, eight passes broken up and one fumble recovery while allowing 20 catches on 50 passes thrown into his coverage.[7] Gowan opted out of the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic and declared early for the 2021 NFL draft.[8][9]

Professional career

Arizona Cardinals

Gowan was selected by the Arizona Cardinals in the sixth round, 223rd overall, of the 2021 NFL draft.[10] Gowan signed his four-year rookie contract with Arizona on May 25, 2021.[11]

Philadelphia Eagles

Gowan was traded along with a fifth round pick in the 2022 NFL draft to the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for tight end Zach Ertz on October 15, 2021.[12] He was waived on August 30, 2022.[13]

Minnesota Vikings

Gowan signed with the practice squad of the Minnesota Vikings on September 1, 2022.[14][15] Gowan was elevated to active roster from the practice squad on November 19, 2022.[16] He signed a reserve/future contract on January 16, 2023.[17] On August 28, 2023, he was waived.[18]

Tennessee Titans

On October 9, 2023, Gowan was signed to the Tennessee Titans practice squad.[19] Following the end of the 2023 regular season, the Titans signed him to a reserve/future contract on January 8, 2024.[20]

Gowan was waived by the Titans on August 26, 2024.[21]

Winnipeg Blue Bombers

On March 28. 2025, Gowan signed with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League (CFL).[22] He was released on June 1.[23]

References

  1. ^ Schmetzer, Mark (August 28, 2016). "Coach: RedHawks improve size and strength on Signing Day". Dayton Daily News
  2. ^ "Tay Gowan - 2020 - Football". UCF Athletics. Retrieved 2022-01-05.
  3. ^ "UCF cornerback Tay Gowan ready to emerge on national stage". August 12, 2020.
  4. ^ Murphy, Brian (September 4, 2019). "UCF turns to Tay Gowan, Zamari Maxwell to help offset loss of Brandon Moore". Orlando Sentinel
  5. ^ "UCF lands commitment from JUCO DB"
  6. ^ "Tay Gowan shines in corner debut". September 10, 2019.
  7. ^ "NFL Draft Prospect Spotlight: Tay Gowan". SI.com. February 19, 2021.
  8. ^ "Tay Gowan shares why he opted out, declares for NFL draft". Orlando Sentinel. September 2, 2020.
  9. ^ Adelson, Andrea (April 13, 2021). "NFL Draft 2021 - College football opt outs create an unprecedented challenge for NFL scouts, execs". ESPN.com
  10. ^ Odegard, Kyle (May 1, 2021). "Cardinals Add Gowan, Dimukeje, Wiggins, Menet In Late Rounds". AZCardinals.com. Retrieved May 7, 2021.
  11. ^ "Former UCF corner Tay Gowan agrees to 4-year, $3.6 million contract with Arizona Cardinals". OrlandoSentinal.com. May 26, 2021.
  12. ^ Spadaro, Dave (October 15, 2021). "Eagles trade all-time great Zach Ertz to Arizona Cardinals". philadelphiaeagles.com. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
  13. ^ McPherson, Chris (August 30, 2022). "Eagles announce initial 53-man roster". PhiladelphiaEagles.com[dead link]
  14. ^ "Vikings Add Receiver & Cornerback to Practice Squad". Vikings.com. September 1, 2022.
  15. ^ Gowan, Tay (August 31, 2022). "@Vikings Thankful for the opportunity". No. 1565149843126976512. Retrieved August 31, 2022.
  16. ^ "Vikings Sign TE Nick Muse to Active Roster; Announce Roster Moves". Vikings.com. November 19, 2022. Archived from the original on November 19, 2022. Retrieved November 19, 2022.
  17. ^ Peters, Craig (January 16, 2023). "Vikings Sign 6 Players to Futures Contracts". Vikings.com
  18. ^ "Vikings Begin Roster Reductions Ahead of Final Roster Cut Deadline". Vikings.com. August 28, 2023.
  19. ^ "Titans add two to practice squad among 4 moves". Titans Wire. USA Today. October 10, 2023.
  20. ^ Wyatt, Jim (January 8, 2024). "Titans Sign Six Players to Reserve/Futures Contracts". TennesseeTitans.com. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  21. ^ Wyatt, Jim. "Titans Waive Nine Players as Roster Cuts Begin Ahead of Tuesday's Deadline". tennesseetitans.com. Retrieved 27 August 2024.
  22. ^ Anderson, Gordon. "Winnipeg Blue Bombers sign defensive back Tay Gowan". The Winnipeg Sun. Retrieved 30 June 2025.
  23. ^ Anderson, Gordon. "Blue Bombers announce roster cuts on Sunday". The Winnipeg Sun. Retrieved 30 June 2025.