6′0″ · 190 lb · Miami, FL · Miami Senior
Derek Gainous: DB · UCF · #21.
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
Derek Gainous
Moves between deep coverage and the slot. Four seasons at UCF, two different head coaches: Josh Heupel and Gus Malzahn. On tape: 3 tackles and 1 tackle for loss against Bethune-Cookman, Week 2, 2021.
Play style
Moves between deep coverage and the slot — the modern positionless DB.
No outlet on our list has written about him by name this season.
Roundtable Oct 19
Sports Illustrated Oct 7Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
Game log · Week-by-week
2021 season · 2 games
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| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 36-31vs Boise State | 1 | 0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | W 63-14vs Bethune-Cookman | 3 | 3 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 3 tackles |
| Total | 4 | 3 | 1.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 |
Week 2 · 2021
W 63-14
1 tackle for loss · 3 tackles · 3 solo tackles
Dominant 49-point win at home against Bethune-Cookman.
Splits
Per-game splits
Through 2 games: 2.0 TKL/g, 0.8 TFL/g, 0.0 SACK/g, 0.0 PD/g — splits start at 3 games.
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Gus Malzahn
Pass share
45.3%
390 pass / 471 run
Plays / game
71.8
12 games
Team sack rate
5.4%
411 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-leaning.
Player standing · 2021
Fewer tackles a game than most FBS defensive backs who play every week.
How it ended
Four seasons at UCF, 70 tackles — his college career is complete.
His career
Coaching lineage · 2018–2021
2 coachesCoaching transition mid-career: Josh Heupel → Gus Malzahn. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
