Receiver, Georgia State (from Tennessee State, Chattanooga), 2020–25
Zaire Thornton
- Number
- No. 17
- Height
- 6′2″
- Weight
- 190 lb
- Class (2025)
- Senior
- Hometown
- Atlanta, GA
Zaire Thornton played receiver at Tennessee State (2020–22), Chattanooga (2023–24) and Georgia State (2025).
Receiving
| Season | Team | Rec | Yds | Avg | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021* | Tennessee State | 3 | 32 | 10.7 | 0 | 18 |
| 2022 | Tennessee State | 13 | 98 | 7.5 | 0 | 26 |
| 2023 | Chattanooga | 7 | 65 | 9.3 | 0 | 18 |
| 2024 | Chattanooga | 2 | 18 | 9.0 | 0 | 12 |
| Career | 25 | 213 | 8.5 | 0 | 26 | |
Season lines from CollegeFootballData, regular season and bowls. * That team-season’s player lines are missing part of the team’s yards in our source, so these numbers may be short.
On the roster
| Season | Team | No. | Pos | Class | Ht | Wt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Tennessee State | 17 | WR | Yr 1 | ||
| 2022 | Tennessee State | 17 | WR | Yr 2 | ||
| 2023 | Chattanooga | 17 | WR | Yr 3 | ||
| 2024 | Chattanooga | 17 | WR | Yr 4 | ||
| 2025 | Georgia State | 17 | WR | Sr. (Yr 5) | 6′2″ | 190 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Tennessee State (FCS) | 3 | 0.86 | – | – | 2.6 | – |
| 2022 | Tennessee State (FCS) | 17 | 0.15 | – | – | 2.5 | – |
| 2023 | Chattanooga (FCS) | 7 | 1.19 | – | – | 8.3 | – |
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
2024 Chattanooga 1 game, 2 catches, 18 yards
| Date | Opponent | Result | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 31 | at Tennessee | L 3–69 | 2 | 18 | 0 | 12 |
2023 Chattanooga 4 games, 7 catches, 65 yards
| Date | Opponent | Result | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 2 | at North Alabama | L 27–41 | 2 | 17 | 0 | 11 |
| Oct 7 | vs. Western Carolina | L 50–52 | 1 | 14 | 0 | 14 |
| Oct 21 | vs. East Tennessee State | W 34–3 | 2 | 15 | 0 | 18 |
| Nov 4 | vs. Furman | L 14–17 | 2 | 19 | 0 | 10 |
2022 Tennessee State 5 games, 13 catches, 98 yards
| Date | Opponent | Result | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 10 | vs. Jackson State | L 3–16 | 2 | 21 | 0 | 17 |
| Sep 17 | at Middle Tennessee | L 6–49 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Oct 1 | vs.Lane College | L 27–28 | 5 | 58 | 0 | 26 |
| Oct 15 | at Tennessee Tech | W 30–14 | 1 | 15 | 0 | 15 |
| Oct 22 | vs. Eastern Illinois | W 37–17 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 5 |
2021 Tennessee State 1 game, 3 catches, 32 yards
| Date | Opponent | Result | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 20 | at Mississippi State | L 10–55 | 3 | 32 | 0 | 18 |
No box score in the source for Sep 5 at Grambling; Sep 18 vs. Kentucky State; Oct 30 vs. Murray State, so those games are not listed.
Box scores from CollegeFootballData, 2004 on. ✦ postseason; ★ a career high on file.
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