ACU Receivers Coach Joel Filani to Enter Texas Tech Hall of Fame
7/10/2026 7:45:00 AM | Football
Abilene Christian's second-year co-offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach Joel Filani is part of the 2026 class of inductees for the Texas Tech Hall of Fame, the school announced on Thursday.
Filani will be inducted with former teammate Louis Vasquez, who was an offensive lineman from 2005-08.
At ACU, Filani guided Javon Gipson to a 1,000-yard season and All-America honors in 2025. Gipson ranked 18th in the FCS with 1,022 yards, and later signed a two-year contract with the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League. He shares offensive coordinator responsibilities with his old quarterback from Texas Tech, Graham Harrell.
The induction ceremony will take place Sept. 25 in Lubbock.
Below is the biography on Filani included in Texas Tech's Hall of Fame announcement.
JOEL FILANI – FOOTBALL (2003-06)
Filani was one of the most productive wide receivers in Texas Tech football history during his career from 2003-06. A standout in head coach Mike Leach's high-powered Air Raid offense, Filani developed into a premier target for the Red Raiders and finished his career among the program's all-time leaders in receptions, receiving yards and touchdown catches.
After seeing limited action early in his career, Filani emerged as a key contributor as a sophomore in 2004, helping Texas Tech to an 8-4 regular season and a memorable victory over No. 4 Cal in the Holiday Bowl. He followed with a breakout junior season in 2005, earning first-team All-Big 12 honors after recording 65 receptions for 1,007 yards and eight touchdowns. The Red Raiders finished 9-3 that season en route to an appearance in the Cotton Bowl.
Filani followed with one of the best receiving seasons in school history as a senior, hauling in 91 receptions for 1,300 yards and 13 touchdowns to become only the fourth Red Raider at the time and just the second wide receiver to garner All-Big 12 first team honors twice in a career. It remains one of the top single-season performances in school history as Filani still ranks tied for fourth on the single-season chart for receiving touchdowns, fifth for receiving yards and 10th for total receptions.
Filani capped his career with a Texas Tech bowl record 11 receptions for 162 yards in Texas Tech's come-from-behind victory over Minnesota in the 2006 Insight Bowl. The Red Raiders roared back from a 31-point deficit that night thanks to Filani, who also set the Texas Tech bowl record for receiving yards at the time in what was the largest comeback victory in NCAA bowl history. It was the sixth 150-yard receiving game of Filani's career, which ranks third all-time in program history to date.
Filani joins Michael Crabtree as the only Red Raiders in program history to record multiple 200-yard receiving performances as he exploded for a then-school record 255 yards in Texas Tech's 2005 victory over Kansas State. He later posted 212 yards through the air against Baylor as a senior. Filani wrapped his Red Raider tenure with 175 catches for 2,626 yards and 23 touchdowns over 50 games as he still ranks sixth all-time for career receiving touchdowns and 10th for receiving yards.
Filani, the Pete Cawthon Memorial Team MVP as a senior, was selected in the sixth round of the 2007 NFL Draft by the Tennessee Titans. Following his playing career, Filani joined the coaching profession where he was an assistant coach on the Texas Tech staff from 2019-21 under Matt Wells. He is currently in his second season as the co-offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach at Abilene Christian, which will open its season against the Red Raiders on Sept. 5.
Filani will be inducted with former teammate Louis Vasquez, who was an offensive lineman from 2005-08.
At ACU, Filani guided Javon Gipson to a 1,000-yard season and All-America honors in 2025. Gipson ranked 18th in the FCS with 1,022 yards, and later signed a two-year contract with the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League. He shares offensive coordinator responsibilities with his old quarterback from Texas Tech, Graham Harrell.
The induction ceremony will take place Sept. 25 in Lubbock.
Below is the biography on Filani included in Texas Tech's Hall of Fame announcement.
JOEL FILANI – FOOTBALL (2003-06)
Filani was one of the most productive wide receivers in Texas Tech football history during his career from 2003-06. A standout in head coach Mike Leach's high-powered Air Raid offense, Filani developed into a premier target for the Red Raiders and finished his career among the program's all-time leaders in receptions, receiving yards and touchdown catches.
After seeing limited action early in his career, Filani emerged as a key contributor as a sophomore in 2004, helping Texas Tech to an 8-4 regular season and a memorable victory over No. 4 Cal in the Holiday Bowl. He followed with a breakout junior season in 2005, earning first-team All-Big 12 honors after recording 65 receptions for 1,007 yards and eight touchdowns. The Red Raiders finished 9-3 that season en route to an appearance in the Cotton Bowl.
Filani followed with one of the best receiving seasons in school history as a senior, hauling in 91 receptions for 1,300 yards and 13 touchdowns to become only the fourth Red Raider at the time and just the second wide receiver to garner All-Big 12 first team honors twice in a career. It remains one of the top single-season performances in school history as Filani still ranks tied for fourth on the single-season chart for receiving touchdowns, fifth for receiving yards and 10th for total receptions.
Filani capped his career with a Texas Tech bowl record 11 receptions for 162 yards in Texas Tech's come-from-behind victory over Minnesota in the 2006 Insight Bowl. The Red Raiders roared back from a 31-point deficit that night thanks to Filani, who also set the Texas Tech bowl record for receiving yards at the time in what was the largest comeback victory in NCAA bowl history. It was the sixth 150-yard receiving game of Filani's career, which ranks third all-time in program history to date.
Filani joins Michael Crabtree as the only Red Raiders in program history to record multiple 200-yard receiving performances as he exploded for a then-school record 255 yards in Texas Tech's 2005 victory over Kansas State. He later posted 212 yards through the air against Baylor as a senior. Filani wrapped his Red Raider tenure with 175 catches for 2,626 yards and 23 touchdowns over 50 games as he still ranks sixth all-time for career receiving touchdowns and 10th for receiving yards.
Filani, the Pete Cawthon Memorial Team MVP as a senior, was selected in the sixth round of the 2007 NFL Draft by the Tennessee Titans. Following his playing career, Filani joined the coaching profession where he was an assistant coach on the Texas Tech staff from 2019-21 under Matt Wells. He is currently in his second season as the co-offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach at Abilene Christian, which will open its season against the Red Raiders on Sept. 5.
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