T.J. Tampa

T.J. Tampa was a star two-sport athlete who attended Lakewood High School in St. Petersburg, Florida. He was a two-time all-county selection in basketball and football and was named the 2020 Pinellas County Athlete of the Year. In football, he excelled at both wide receiver and defensive back and was rated a three-star recruit by 247Sports, Rivals and ESPN. He selected Iowa State over offers from Georgia, Maryland, Wake Forest, Cincinnati and Rutgers. In his freshman season, he played in 9 games on special teams and as a reserve in the secondary and tallied 5 tackles. He saw more action as a sophomore, playing in 13 games, starting 5 and he registered 18 tackles and 3 pass breakups He was second team All-Big 12 in 2022 after starting all 12 games and collecting 40 tackles, 1 interception and 9 pass breakups. In 2023, he started 12 games and tallied 44 tackles and 2 interceptions for Iowa State.