Running back, Memphis, 2018–20
Kenneth Gainwell
- Number
- No. 19
- Height
- 5′11″
- Weight
- 195 lb
- Class (2020)
- Sophomore
- Hometown
- Yazoo City, MS
- Born
- Mar 14, 1999
Kenneth Gainwell played running back at Memphis (2018–20). The Philadelphia Eagles took Gainwell in round 5, No. 150 overall in the 2021 NFL Draft.
At a glance
Career highs
209rushing yards, career highat UL Monroe, 20193rushing touchdowns, career highat Tulsa, 20199catches, career highvs. Tulane, 2019203receiving yards, career highvs. Tulane, 20192receiving touchdowns, career highvs. Tulane, 2019Honors
Team titles: American champions, 2019
Players of the year, conference and regional honors: Wikipedia’s lists (CC BY-SA), each linked from its honor.
Rushing
Receiving
Season lines from CollegeFootballData, regular season and bowls.
On the roster
As each season’s roster listed the player (CollegeFootballData). Classes before the latest listing are counted back from it; “Yr 1” is the year on file where that count can’t place a season he played (a redshirt, transfer or 2020 year); height and weight as last listed.
Per play
| Season | Team | Plays | EPA/play | Pctile | Median | Total | Usage | Adj. rush |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Memphis | 288 | 0.32 | 94th (n=287) | 0.13 | 91.0 | 28% | 0.24 |
Expected points added: how much the player’s plays moved the team’s expected score, per play and in total. Plays: total EPA divided by EPA per play, the plays the source credits to him (for a receiver roughly his catches and runs, not every target; for a passer, not every attempt), so it can differ from attempts plus carries. Percentile: against the position’s regulars that season across all divisions on file (quarterbacks with 150+ plays, backs 60+, receivers and tight ends 30+), with how many there were (n) and their median; a dash means too few plays to rank. A season in progress uses the full-season bar scaled by games played, never below 75 plays for quarterbacks, 30 for backs and 20 for receivers. The cohort grows or shrinks with the source’s coverage each season (2025 lists far more players), so compare percentiles rather than raw EPA across years. FCS seasons are marked. Usage: the share of the team’s plays the player was part of (shown from 20 plays). Adjusted pass and rush: EPA per play adjusted for the defenses faced (CollegeFootballData’s WEPA). From CollegeFootballData, 2013 on.
Game by game
2019 Memphis 14 games, 1,459 rushing yards, 13 TD
| Date | Opponent | Result | Car | Rush yds | Rush TD | Rec | Rec yds | Rec TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 31 | vs. | W 15–10 | 16 | 77 | 0 | 6 | 41 | 0 |
| Sep 7 | vs. | W 55–24 | 16 | 85 | 2 | 4 | 38 | 1 |
| Sep 14 | at | W 42–6 | 16 | 145 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 0 |
| Sep 26 | vs. | W 35–23 | 14 | 104 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 0 |
| Oct 5 | at | W 52–33 | 14 | 209 | 2 | 3 | 42 | 0 |
| Oct 12 | at | L 28–30 | 19 | 106 | 1 | 8 | 98 | 0 |
| Oct 19 | vs. | W 47–17 | 18 | 104 | 1 | 9 | 203 | 2 |
| Oct 26 | at | W 42–41 | 24 | 149 | 3 | – | – | – |
| Nov 2 | vs. | W 54–48 | 21 | 88 | 1 | 2 | 14 | 0 |
| Nov 16 | at | W 45–27 | 17 | 99 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 0 |
| Nov 23 | at | W 49–10 | 14 | 128 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 0 |
| Nov 29 | vs. | W 34–24 | 15 | 87 | 0 | 3 | 20 | 0 |
| Dec 7 | vs. | W 29–24 | 18 | 44 | 0 | 3 | 40 | 0 |
| Dec 28 ✦ | vs. | L 39–53 | 9 | 34 | 1 | 7 | 78 | 0 |
2018 Memphis 4 games, 91 rushing yards, 1 TD
| Date | Opponent | Result | Car | Rush yds | Rush TD | Rec | Rec yds | Rec TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 1 | vs. | W 66–14 | 2 | 11 | 0 | 3 | 26 | 0 |
| Sep 8 | at | L 21–22 | – | – | – | 2 | 25 | 0 |
| Sep 14 | vs. | W 59–22 | 2 | 80 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Sep 22 | vs. | W 52–35 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Box scores from CollegeFootballData, 2004 on. ✦ postseason; ★ a career high on file.
Before the draft
| Drill | Pro day 2021 |
|---|---|
| Height | 5′8⅜″ |
| Weight | 201 lb |
| Arm length | 30⅝″ |
| Hand size | 9⅞″ |
| Wingspan | 70¼″ |
| 40-yard dash | 4.44 s |
| 10-yard split | 1.62 s |
| Vertical jump | 35″ |
| Broad jump | 10′1″ |
| Bench press | 21 reps |
| 3-cone drill | 7.26 s |
| 20-yard shuttle | 4.46 s |
Pre-draft measurables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).
In the NFL
6 seasons, 88 games with a stat; latest team: Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
| Season | Team | G | Car | Yds | TD | Rec | Rec yds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Philadelphia Eagles | 16 | 68 | 291 | 5 | 33 | 253 |
| 2022 | Philadelphia Eagles | 17 | 53 | 240 | 4 | 23 | 169 |
| 2023 | Philadelphia Eagles | 16 | 84 | 364 | 2 | 30 | 183 |
| 2024 | Philadelphia Eagles | 17 | 75 | 290 | 1 | 16 | 116 |
| 2025 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 17 | 114 | 537 | 5 | 73 | 486 |
| 2026 (so far) | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 5 | 17 | 44 | 0 | 11 | 54 |
| NFL career | 88 | 411 | 1,766 | 17 | 186 | 1,261 | |
Regular seasons, from nflverse (CC BY 4.0). G counts games in which the player recorded a stat.
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