BuccaneersFan.com • Player Spotlight • Tampa Bay No. 27
Current official roster portrait: Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Cornerback • Fifth NFL season
From Galveston to Tampa Bay’s outside corner
Zyon McCollum
- Born
- May 3, 1999 • Age 27
- Hometown
- Galveston, Texas
- Listed size
- 6 feet 2 inches • 199 pounds
- High school
- Ball High School • Galveston, Texas
- College
- Sam Houston State University • 2017–2021
- NFL entry
- 2022 NFL Draft • Round 5 • Pick 157
- NFL team
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers • 2022–present
- Jersey
- No. 27
Sources: current Buccaneers profile, 2026 Buccaneers media guide and Sam Houston biography.
NFL milestones are through November 1, 2026. Sources: NFL career record and original Sam Houston records.
A cornerback can have a productive afternoon while the camera spends most of its time somewhere else. A covered receiver sends the quarterback looking for another answer. Zyon McCollum has given the Krewe examples of that quieter work, along with the interceptions and return that put No. 27 directly into the picture.
In its October 20 review, Tampa Bay credited McCollum with allowing only two completions across 104 coverage snaps in Weeks 3–5. The next two division games added a different kind of highlight: an interception in each, plus a return that put two points on Tampa Bay’s side of the scoreboard. The team’s coverage analysis; the Carolina and Atlanta plays below.
Galveston → Huntsville → Tampa Bay
A Bearkat’s road to the Buccaneers
Galveston and Ball High A Texas school with a Tampa Bay connection.
McCollum grew up playing several sports, including baseball, basketball, tennis, swimming and track. At Ball High School, he played cornerback while twin brother Tristin played safety. Ball is also Mike Evans’s alma mater. Tampa Bay’s introduction to its draft pick.
Choosing Huntsville together Sam Houston, 2017–2021.
The brothers initially committed to Utah, then reconsidered when the school proposed redshirting Tristin after an injury. Sam Houston offered both an immediate opportunity to play. Their five seasons together included the 2020 FCS national championship, played in spring 2021. Sam Houston’s account of their college decision.
Growing into the job A fifth-round pick becomes a starter.
Tampa Bay selected McCollum 157th overall in 2022. He made three rookie starts and nine in 2023, then started every regular-season game in 2024. In September 2025, he signed a three-year extension through 2028. The Buccaneers’ extension announcement.
His first NFL interception came against Jared Goff on Detroit’s opening offensive play on September 15, 2024. Tampa Bay won that game 20–16. The team’s original Lions game review.
October 25, 2026 • Week 7 at Carolina
An extra point became a Buccaneers scoring play
Special-teams finish
2
POINTS ON THE BLOCKED-EXTRA-POINT RETURN
Tampa Bay won 43–13 in Charlotte.
Carolina had just scored in the second quarter. Tykee Smith blocked Ryan Fitzgerald’s extra-point attempt, and McCollum recovered the ball and returned it for two Tampa Bay points. The play left the Buccaneers ahead 19–6 with 9:09 remaining before halftime. The official scoring and play record; the return highlight.
Later in the quarter, McCollum intercepted Bryce Young at midfield and returned the ball 18 yards. Tampa Bay went on to win 43–13. The interception and ensuing possession.
The return after the blocked extra point is a defensive two-point conversion. It is tracked separately from interception-return touchdowns and fumble-return touchdowns. Smith receives the blocked-kick credit; McCollum receives the two-point score.
Preparation • Patience • Possession
The work before the ball arrives
Eyes, film and repetition
In Tampa Bay’s October feature, cornerbacks coach Rashad Johnson emphasized McCollum’s attention to where he looks during a route and how he studies opponents. The physical tools were already there; recognizing the patterns on film helped him apply them on Sundays.
The team reported no catches allowed on two targets during 42 coverage snaps at Dallas. That is a specific game snapshot, alongside the broader season record below. The Buccaneers’ report on his development.
Another interception in the rain
A week after Carolina, McCollum intercepted a Michael Penix Jr. pass intended for Charlie Woerner at Tampa Bay’s 14-yard line early in the fourth quarter. He stepped out with no return gain, ending an Atlanta possession as the Buccaneers protected a 16–0 lead.
That became the final score on November 1, 2026, and it gave McCollum an interception in consecutive division games. The official gamebook; his fourth-quarter interception.
The person behind No. 27
Family, roots and perspective
The shared football journey produced an unusual playoff reunion on January 15, 2024. Zyon’s Buccaneers faced Tristin’s Eagles, and the brothers lined up opposite one another on two special-teams plays. Tampa Bay won 32–9. Sam Houston’s retrospective on the meeting.
Their mother, Tisha, had a jersey made with both teams’ colors and her sons’ numbers. Before the game, Tristin described the brothers’ habit of calling each other daily to check in and help one another. Philadelphia’s account of the family’s playoff week.
Recognition at Sam Houston Academic and football honors.
The university records 2018 Southland All-Academic recognition and, in his final season, 2021 AP third-team All-America and first-team All-WAC selections. The Bearkats’ career biography.
Mentoring in Tampa Bay Buccaneers Player Impact Board.
The team lists McCollum on its Player Impact Board from 2024. It also documents his participation with students from Middleton and King high schools in an October 2024 mentoring session. The Buccaneers’ community programs.
ATOZ — A McCollum Foundation Zyon and Acacia’s local work.
The City of Tampa credits the foundation, established by McCollum and his wife, Acacia, with Thanksgiving food deliveries and Christmas shopping trips for children. On July 16, 2026, the city announced his free clinic for 100 Parks & Recreation children at Jackson Heights Recreation Center. The city’s announcement.
NFL regular season • Tampa Bay, 2022–2026
The Buccaneers career record
The NFL regular-season record covers 2022–2026, all with Tampa Bay. An asterisk marks the incomplete 2026 season, which stops after November 1, Week 8. Preseason is excluded. Defensive statistics, special-teams tackles and conversion-return scoring are tracked separately.
| Season | G | GS | Solo | Ast | DEF TKL | TFL | Sacks | QH |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 13 | 3 | 12 | 5 | 17 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 |
| 2023 | 17 | 9 | 45 | 19 | 64 | 1 | 0.0 | 0 |
| 2024 | 17 | 17 | 55 | 27 | 82 | 1 | 0.0 | 0 |
| 2025 | 13 | 13 | 45 | 20 | 65 | 1 | 0.0 | 0 |
| 2026* | 8 | 8 | 24 | 6 | 30 | 1 | 0.0 | 0 |
| Career | 68 | 50 | 181 | 77 | 258 | 4 | 0.0 | 0 |
G = games played; GS = starts; Solo + Ast = DEF TKL; TFL = tackles for loss; QH = quarterback hits. These are defensive tackles only. The selected series totals 181 solo + 77 assisted = 258 defensive tackles. Coverage tackles are listed separately below.
Completed-season sources: 2026 Buccaneers career table, PDF p. 177; final 2022 phase table; final 2023 team report, PDF p. 57; final 2024 phase table. The eight original 2026 gamebooks are linked below.
Pass defense and takeaways
| Season | PD | INT | INT YDS | INT LNG | INT TD | DEF FF | DEF FR | FR YDS | FR TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | 9 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | 17 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | 6 | 1 | 19 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2026* | 9 | 2 | 18 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | 42 | 5 | 41 | 19 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
PD = passes defended, including interceptions; INT YDS/LNG/TD = interception-return yards, longest return and touchdowns. A dash in INT LNG indicates no interception that season. The career long is a maximum. DEF FF/FR = defensive forced fumbles/recoveries; FR YDS/TD = recovery-return yards/touchdowns. Both career fumble recoveries were of an opponent’s fumble.
The 2024 Baltimore recovery finished with zero return yards and no touchdown after replay reversed the initial scoring ruling. The corrected play in the original gamebook. The Green Bay recovery on October 4, 2026 was also on defense, with no return gain. The Week 4 play record.
Pass-defense totals follow the newer team career series: 2026 Buccaneers career table, PDF p. 177 and current gamebooks. The older 2023 final report lists seven PD; the newer guide and current team profile list nine. The table consistently uses nine for that season.
Special teams and the defensive two-point return
| Season | ST Solo | ST Ast | ST TKL | 2PT returns | 2PT points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 6 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2026* | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Career | 10 | 1 | 11 | 1 | 2 |
ST = special teams; ST Solo + ST Ast = coverage tackles. 2PT returns counts defensive conversion returns; 2PT points is their scoring value. The Carolina return is one successful conversion worth two points. It adds no ordinary fumble recovery, return touchdown, safety or blocked kick to McCollum’s record.
Source reconciliation: the 2026 guide’s 2023 ST row prints three tackles, but the final 2023 team report, PDF p. 57 explicitly credits four solo coverage tackles. Using four makes the annual figures total 11 special-teams tackles: 10 solo and one assisted, matching the guide’s career ST subtotal.
The resulting 258 defensive + 11 special-teams = 269 combined tackles matches the current roster summary’s combined total. Other web tabs display a different tackle series; these tables use the phase-specific team records so the two roles remain identifiable. The original phase records credit no McCollum ST forced fumble, fumble recovery, block or safety through this cutoff.
September 13–November 1, 2026
This season, game by game
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | G | GS | DEF snaps | ST snaps | Solo | Ast | DEF TKL | PD | INT | INT YDS | FR | 2PT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sep 13 | @ CIN | L 27–33 | 1 | 1 | 63 | 7 | 8 | 1 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | Sep 20 | vs. CLE | L 19–23 | 1 | 1 | 58 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | Sep 27 | vs. MIN | L 16–23 | 1 | 1 | 59 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | Oct 4 | vs. GB | L 14–17 | 1 | 1 | 60 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 5 | Oct 8 | @ DAL | W 24–16 | 1 | 1 | 60 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 6 | Oct 18 | vs. PIT | L 19–26 (OT) | 1 | 1 | 79 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 7 | Oct 25 | @ CAR | W 43–13 | 1 | 1 | 56 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 18 | 0 | 2 |
| 8 | Nov 1 | vs. ATL | W 16–0 | 1 | 1 | 53 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2026 total | Through Nov 1 | Tampa Bay | — | 8 | 8 | 488 | 34 | 24 | 6 | 30 | 9 | 2 | 18 | 1 | 2 |
All eight games were starts. McCollum played 488 defensive snaps and 34 special-teams snaps; he missed just one of Tampa Bay’s 489 defensive snaps in this span. He recorded no coverage tackles. FR is a defensive fumble recovery; 2PT is points scored on a defensive conversion return. The Carolina conversion is separate from that game’s interception.
Results are from Tampa Bay’s perspective; vs. = home, @ = away, OT = overtime. CIN = Cincinnati; CLE = Cleveland; MIN = Minnesota; GB = Green Bay; DAL = Dallas; PIT = Pittsburgh; CAR = Carolina; ATL = Atlanta. The gamebooks label snap counts unofficial.
Original gamebooks: W1 CIN; W2 CLE; W3 MIN; W4 GB; W5 DAL; W6 PIT; W7 CAR; W8 ATL.
Actual NFL postseason appearances
The playoff record
| Season | Date | Round | Opponent | Result | G | GS | Solo | Ast | DEF TKL | ST TKL | TFL | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 2023-01-16 | Wild Card | vs. DAL | L 14–31 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | 2024-01-15 | Wild Card | vs. PHI | W 32–9 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | 2024-01-21 | Divisional | @ DET | L 23–31 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | 2025-01-12 | Wild Card | vs. WAS | L 20–23 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Postseason | — | — | — | — | 4 | 1 | 10 | 2 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
These are four actual playoff appearances, with one start. The 2022 Dallas appearance was on special teams only and produced the one coverage tackle. His defensive playoff total is 10 solo + two assisted = 12 tackles; the tackle for loss and pass defended both came against Washington in the 2024 postseason.
Across the four games he played 154 defensive snaps and 61 special-teams snaps, with no credited sack, interception, forced fumble, fumble recovery, blocked kick, safety or two-point return. January dates belong to the preceding regular season. DAL = Dallas; PHI = Philadelphia; DET = Detroit; WAS = Washington. Snap counts are labeled unofficial.
Original playoff gamebooks: 2022 DAL; 2023 PHI; 2023 DET; 2024 WAS.
Sam Houston State University • 2017–2021
Five seasons in Bearkat orange
The college record spans five playing seasons, 2017–2021, with no redshirt year. The 2020 season was played in spring 2021; the fall 2021 campaign is a separate season. All nine FCS playoff appearances, including the national championship, are already included in the annual totals.
| Season | G | GS | Solo | Ast | TKL | TFL | TFL YDS | Sacks | Sack YDS | QH |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 14 | 10 | 30 | 12 | 42 | 1.0 | 1 | 1.0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2018 | 11 | 11 | 29 | 15 | 44 | 1.5 | 4 | 0.5 | 3 | 0 |
| 2019 | 9 | 9 | 16 | 7 | 23 | 2.5 | 5 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020–21 (spring 2021) | 10 | 10 | 31 | 15 | 46 | 3.0 | 7 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 (fall) | 12 | 12 | 39 | 11 | 50 | 2.0 | 4 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | 56 | 52 | 145 | 60 | 205 | 10.0 | 21 | 1.5 | 4 | 0 |
G = appearances; GS = starts; Solo + Ast = total tackles; TFL includes sacks; YDS = yards lost; QH = quarterback hurries. The original university records total 145 solo + 60 assisted = 205 tackles. The 145 figure sometimes repeated as the career total is the solo-tackle count.
The final annual tables credit 1.0 sack in 2017 and 0.5 in 2018, totaling 1.5. The final spring 2021 table credits zero sacks; this resolves a conflicting half-sack reference in the university’s narrative biography.
Original final defensive tables, each PDF p. 5: 2017; 2018; 2019; 2020–21 (spring 2021); 2021 (fall). Starts are documented by the university biography and individual participation reports for 2019 and fall 2021.
College pass defense, takeaways and return statistics
| Season | PBU | INT | INT YDS | INT LNG | INT TD | FF | FR | FR YDS | FR TD | BLK | Safety |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2018 | 8 | 3 | 34 | 17 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2019 | 8 | 3 | 26 | 26 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020–21 (spring 2021) | 6 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 (fall) | 5 | 3 | 24 | 30 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Career | 41 | 13 | 88 | 30 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
PBU = pass breakups, excluding interceptions. 41 PBU + 13 interceptions = 54 passes defended. INT YDS/LNG/TD = interception-return net yards, longest return and touchdowns; FF/FR = forced fumbles/recoveries; FR YDS/TD = fumble-return yards/touchdowns; BLK = blocked kicks.
His 13 college interceptions produced 88 net return yards and two touchdowns, one in 2018 and one in 2019. Fall 2021’s longest interception return was 30 yards, while that season’s net interception-return total was 24 yards. The career long is the longest single return, not a sum. No college fumble recovery or safety was credited.
Original interception-return tables, each PDF p. 2: 2017; 2018; 2019; 2020–21 (spring 2021); 2021 (fall). The defensive tables above supply PBU, fumbles, blocked kicks and safeties.
FCS playoff appearances
| Season | Date | Round | Opponent | Result | G | GS | Solo | Ast | TKL | TFL | Sacks | PBU | INT | INT YDS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 2017-12-02 | Second Round | South Dakota | W 54–42 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 2017 | 2017-12-09 | Quarterfinal | Kennesaw State | W 34–27 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| 2017 | 2017-12-15 | Semifinal | North Dakota State | L 13–55 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020–21 (spring 2021) | 2021-04-24 | First Round | Monmouth | W 21–15 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020–21 (spring 2021) | 2021-05-02 | Quarterfinal | North Dakota State | W 24–20 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020–21 (spring 2021) | 2021-05-08 | Semifinal | James Madison | W 38–35 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| 2020–21 (spring 2021) | 2021-05-16 | National Championship | South Dakota State | W 23–21 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 (fall) | 2021-12-04 | Second Round | UIW | W 49–42 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 8 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 (fall) | 2021-12-11 | Quarterfinal | Montana State | L 19–42 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Playoff subset | — | — | — | — | 9 | 8 | 39 | 8 | 47 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 8 | 3 | 4 |
These nine games are already included in the annual college totals. The subset contains 47 tackles, eight pass breakups and three interceptions for four return yards. The highlighted May 16, 2021 championship was a 23–21 win over South Dakota State at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas. It belongs to the spring championship season and is counted once.
The only playoff TFL came against UIW, the University of the Incarnate Word, in December 2021. No sack, quarterback hurry, forced fumble, fumble recovery, blocked kick, safety or return touchdown was credited in these playoff appearances. Results are from Sam Houston’s perspective.
2017 Kennesaw State start designation: both schools’ published participation reports list McCollum among reserves, so this table records G 1 and GS 0. Their starting-defense list contains only ten names; his six tackles, interception and four PBU are unambiguous. Sam Houston’s official participation report.
Official playoff box scores and participation: 2017-12-02 South Dakota; 2017-12-09 Kennesaw State; 2017-12-15 North Dakota State; 2021-04-24 Monmouth; 2021-05-02 North Dakota State; 2021-05-08 James Madison; 2021-05-16 South Dakota State; 2021-12-04 UIW; 2021-12-11 Montana State.
Sources & statistical notes
The records behind the spotlight
- Identity and early football: the current Buccaneers roster, 2026 media guide, PDF p. 175, draft-day introduction and Sam Houston biography.
- College choice and family: Sam Houston’s alumni feature and Philadelphia’s January 2024 twin-brother story.
- NFL development: the 2025 extension announcement, first-interception game review and October 2026 coverage feature.
- Community: the Buccaneers’ Player Impact Board and mentoring record and the City of Tampa’s ATOZ and clinic announcement. The clinic description identifies the announced plan, not an independently verified attendance count.
- NFL statistics: the Buccaneers’ phase-specific annual records, the current media-guide career series, all eight 2026 gamebooks through Week 8 and four actual postseason gamebooks. The 2023 coverage-tackle correction and pass-defense source difference are explained beside the tables.
- College statistics: original Sam Houston final cumulative tables for all five seasons and nine actual FCS playoff gamebooks. Total tackles, PBU/PD definitions, the 2018 half-sack and the Kennesaw State participation caveat are documented above.
- 2026 featured plays: the original NFL Carolina and Atlanta gamebooks and Buccaneers highlights linked above. Tykee Smith’s blocked kick and McCollum’s two-point return receive separate credit.
- Portrait: the current official Tampa Bay Buccaneers roster image.
Updated November 3, 2026. NFL regular-season statistics stop after November 1, 2026, Week 8; preseason is excluded. NFL postseason statistics are separate from regular-season totals. College playoff appearances are already included in the college annual totals. The 2020 college season was played in spring 2021 and is distinguished from the fall 2021 season.