#11

Xavier Gaines

Senior tight end for Marshall. 2021: 42 catches, 483 receiving yards, 3 TD.

TE · Marshall · Sr. · #11

6′3″ · 220 lb · Frostproof, FL

CFB Index 61 · #24 of 119 TEsMedium-low confidenceAll-ConferenceMarshall 2021 alumnus

The story

4 tight end for Marshall. 2021: 42 catches, 483 receiving yards, 3 TD.

The record fills in as he plays.

His career, year by year

How it ended

Four seasons at Marshall, 1,406 receiving yards, a first-team All-Conference season (2020) — his college career is complete.

His career

Nobody recruited him. He earned the honors anyway.

20209 games

All-Conference USAfirst

202112 games

All-Conference USAhonorable_mention

Career arc

Recruit

—

No recruit profile

CFB

College

Marshall

2018–2021

NFL

NFL Draft

—

Not drafted

Trophy case · Confirmed honors

What the selectors said

3 honors · 1 category

🎖

ALL-CONFERENCE USA

All-Conference USA mention (2021)

Coaching lineage · 2018–2021

2 coaches

2018–2020

Doc Holliday

Marshall

2021

Charles Huff

Marshall

era →

Coaching transition mid-career: Doc Holliday → Charles Huff. Worth noting in scheme + development context.

2021 snapshot

Season context · Team result + system

2018Marshall9-4HC: Doc Holliday · Balanced

2019Marshall8-5HC: Doc Holliday · Run-leaning

2020Marshall7-3HC: Doc Holliday · Run-leaning

2021Marshall7-6HC: Charles Huff · Balanced, fast tempo

Where this profile ranks vs the TE cohort

Box-score + play-by-play EPA percentiles

61Quality starter #24 of 119?

Medium-low confidence13 metrics · season cumulative

Elite: long catch (89th percentile). Strength: receptions (87th percentile). Concern: epa / target (18th percentile).

Real play-by-play efficiency

Explosive rate#161 / 655 · 75th pct

17.9%

TD rate#351 / 655 · 46th pct

5.4%

Yards / catch#379 / 655 · 42nd pct

11.9

Catch rate#386 / 655 · 41st pct

73.2%

EPA / target#539 / 655 · 18th pct

0.35

Box-score rates (8)

Long catch#17 / 146 · 89th pct

Receptions#18 / 146 · 87th pct

Rec yards#22 / 146 · 85th pct

483

Fumbles lost#1 / 39 · 78th pct

Rec TDs#44 / 146 · 62nd pct

Rush yards#15 / 33 · 56th pct

Yards / catch#66 / 146 · 54th pct

11.5

Rush TDs#10 / 33 · 36th pct

Season trend

Last seasonThis season

EPA / target

41st → 18th percentile

Explosive rate

35th → 75th percentile

Catch rate

58th → 41st percentile

TD rate

81st → 46th percentile

Yards / catch

64th → 42nd percentile

Percentiles versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season. Most bars are box-score rates; EPA / success-rate bars are computed from real play-by-play (offense only — no defensive EPA model exists yet).

Splits & context

Splits · Per-game

2021 season · 12 games

Home/Road · Season halves

Home vs Road

	REC/g	YDS/g	YPR	TD/g
Home6g	3.2	28.2	8.4	0.0
Road6g	3.7	51.2	14.4	0.5

First half vs Second half

	REC/g	YDS/g	YPR	TD/g
Weeks 1-77g	3.4	51.0	14.7	0.3
Weeks 8+5g	3.4	23.8	6.7	0.2

Supporting cast · Scheme

Staff and system around the player

2026 season

Head Coach

Tony Gibson

Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.

Awards

Player standing · 2021

All-Conference

Picked for an all-conference team by at least one selector.

Recognition

Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex

Production · CFB Index Score

61 · #24 of 119 TEs

Career stats

Season	Team
2021	Marshall	42	483	11.5	3	--
2020	Marshall	28	404	14.4	4	--
2019	Marshall	27	306	11.3	3	--
2018	Marshall	13	213	16.4	1	--
Career		110	1,406	12.8	11	--

Signature game

SIGNATURE GAME · Week 2 · 2021

W 44–10

vs North Carolina Central

3 rec · 12 yds

Dominant 34-point win at home against North Carolina Central.

With G. Wells — 344 yds · 3 TD · 1 INT · QBR 42.0 · 4 rush yds (5 car) · 1 TD · R. LeFevre — 38 AVG · 1 IN 20 · 42 LONG

Signature plays

Signature plays · top plays by |EPA|

The plays that mattered most

fact

Week 4 · App State · 2&7 · Q2 · EPA +5.09Grant Wells pass complete to Xavier Gaines for 56 yds for a TD, (Shane Ciucci KICK)
Week 12 · Charlotte · 3&8 · Q3 · EPA +3.42Grant Wells pass complete to Xavier Gaines for 22 yds for a TD, (Shane Ciucci KICK)
Week 1 · Navy · 2&10 · Q3 · EPA +3.35Grant Wells pass complete to Xavier Gaines for 36 yds Xavier Gaines fumbled, forced by Michael McMorris, recovered by Marsh Xavier Gaines for a 1ST down
Week 7 · North Texas · 1&10 · Q2 · EPA +2.90Grant Wells pass complete to Xavier Gaines for 33 yds for a TD, (Shane Ciucci KICK)
Week 3 · East Carolina · 2&2 · Q4 · EPA +2.26Grant Wells pass complete to Xavier Gaines for 34 yds to the ECaro 33 for a 1ST down
Week 4 · App State · 2&10 · Q2 · EPA +1.98Grant Wells pass complete to Xavier Gaines for 25 yds to the Marsh 36 for a 1ST down
Week 1 · Navy · 1&10 · Q3 · EPA +1.36Grant Wells pass complete to Xavier Gaines for 20 yds to the Navy 36 for a 1ST down
Week 7 · North Texas · 1&10 · Q3 · EPA +1.31Grant Wells pass complete to Xavier Gaines for 16 yds to the NoTex 43 for a 1ST down
Week 3 · East Carolina · 2&12 · Q1 · EPA +1.22Grant Wells pass complete to Xavier Gaines for 11 yds to the Marsh 43
Week 5 · Middle Tennessee · 1&10 · Q4 · EPA +1.14Grant Wells pass complete to Xavier Gaines for 9 yds to the Marsh 30

Game log

Game log · Week-by-week

2021 season · 12 games

Box score · CFBD

Wk	Opp	REC	YDS	AVG	TD	LONG	Note
Wk 1	W 49-7@ Navy	2	61	30.5	0	41
Wk 2	W 44-10vs North Carolina Central	3	12	4.0	0	8
Wk 3	L 38-42vs East Carolina	4	61	15.3	0	34
Wk 4	L 30-31@ App State	5	104	20.8	1	56	Season-high 104 yds
Wk 5	L 28-34@ Middle Tennessee	3	24	8.0	0	10
Wk 6	W 20-13vs Old Dominion	2	18	9.0	0	12
Wk 7	W 49-21@ North Texas	5	77	15.4	1	33
Wk 9	W 38-0vs Florida International	5	40	8.0	0	20
Wk 10	W 28-13@ Florida Atlantic	3	14	4.7	0	7
Wk 11	L 14-21vs UAB	2	9	4.5	0	5
Wk 12	W 49-28@ Charlotte	4	27	6.8	1	22
Wk 13	L 21-53vs Western Kentucky	3	29	9.7	0	22
Total		41	476	11.4	3	56