Nashville Christian senior running back TJ Ward has committed to TCU football, he confirmed to The Tennessean on July 13.
Ward is a 6-foot, 200-pound three-star prospect ranked as the No. 43 player in the state and No. 75 running back nationally from the 2026 class, according to the 247Sports Composite. His offers included Tennessee, Auburn, Florida State, Indiana, Kentucky, Ole Miss and Purdue.
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He is No. 2 in The Tennesseanās list of the Nashville areaās top returning running backs for the 2025 season. His recruitment picked up steam last season despite sitting out much of Nashville Christianās 2024 TSSAA football state championship run in Division II-A.
More: Ranking the Nashville area’s top 20 running backs returning for 2025 TSSAA football season
More: Ranking the Nashville area’s top 20 quarterbacks returning for 2025 TSSAA football season
Ward rushed for 653 yards and seven touchdowns on 61 carries in just four games while waiting to become eligible due to TSSAA rules after transferring from McGavock. That included a stellar state final against Columbia Academy with 203 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries.
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Tyler Palmateer covers high school sports for The Tennessean. Have a story idea for him? Reach Tyler at tpalmateer@tennessean.com and on the X platform, @tpalmateer83.
He also writes The Tennesseanās high school sports newsletter, The Bootleg. Subscribe to the newsletter here.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: TCU football lands TJ Ward, 2026 RB from Nashville
