Receiver, Colorado (from Jackson State), 2022–⁠23

Willie Gaines

Lettered 2023 (school media guide)

Number
No. 20
Height
5′9″
Weight
165 lb
Class (2023)
Junior
Hometown
Cocoa Beach, FL

Willie Gaines played receiver at Jackson State (2022) and Colorado (2023).

Career highs

8catches, career highvs. Southern, 2022

Team titles: SWAC champions, 2022

Receiving

Receiving yards, season by season, with his team’s record
SeasonTeamRecYdsAvgTDLong
2022Jackson State2635913.8442
2023Colorado2126.009
Career2837113.3442

Returns

SeasonTeamPRYdsTD
2022Jackson State211690

Season lines from CollegeFootballData, regular season and bowls.

On the roster

SeasonTeamNo.PosClassHtWt
2022Jackson State20WRSo.
2023Colorado20WRJr.5′9″165

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

SeasonTeamPlaysEPA/playPctileMedianTotalUsage
2022Jackson State (FCS)220.83––18.25%
2023Colorado20.21––0.4–

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). From CollegeFootballData, 2013 on.

Game by game

2023 Colorado 2 games, 2 catches, 12 yards
DateOpponentResultRecRec ydsRec TDPR
Sep 9vs.NebraskaW 36–⁠14130–
Sep 30vs.USCL 41–⁠48190–
2022 Jackson State 11 games, 26 catches, 359 yards, 4 TD
DateOpponentResultRecRec ydsRec TDPR
Sep 4vs.Florida A&MW 59–⁠32490–
Sep 10vs.Tennessee StateW 16–⁠312714
Sep 24vs.Mississippi Valley StateW 49–⁠724212
Oct 8atAlabama StateW 26–⁠1246511
Oct 15atBethune-CookmanW 48–⁠832702
Oct 22vs.CampbellW 22–⁠141302
Oct 29vs.SouthernW 35–⁠01404
Nov 5atTexas SouthernW 41–⁠141703
Nov 12vs.Alabama A&MW 27–⁠131211–
Nov 19atAlcorn StateW 24–⁠1323601
Dec 3vs.SouthernW 43–⁠2487802

No box score in the source for Sep 17 vs. Grambling, so that game is not listed.

Box scores from CollegeFootballData, 2004 on. ✦ postseason; ★ a career high on file.

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