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Xavier Gaines is a Slot Specialist TE for Marshall. Xavier's 2021 season produced 19.3 total EPA across 30 plays.
2021 Production
Receiving
42 Receptions483 Rec yards3
Xavier Gaines is a Slot Specialist TE for Marshall. Xavier's 2021 season produced 19.3 total EPA across 30 plays.
The offense's primary passing-down weapon — routes, separation, and reliability on 3rd down define this role.
Top-3 player at position nationally. Collective + national brand deals.
Tier is a model estimate based on position, school brand, performance rank, and usage — not a reported deal. NIL deals are private. For a real market valuation, see On3's NIL profile, which factors in social following and actual deal tracking.
Players from 2014–2024 matched on EPA efficiency, play volume, and adjusted value tier — not just one metric.
| Player | Team | Yr | Plays | WEPA/play | Line val | Total EPA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ty Thompson | Tulane | 2024 | 48 | 0.420 | 0.4 | 20.2 |
| Seth Green | Minnesota | 2018 | 83 | 0.390 | 0.0 | 32.4 |
| Johnny Langan | Rutgers | 2020 | 59 | 0.300 | 0.0 | 17.7 |
| Evan Svoboda | Wyoming | 2024 | 75 | 0.290 | 0.0 | 21.8 |
| Jordan Myers | Rice | 2021 | 59 | 0.270 | 0.2 | 15.9 |
Comps are statistical — efficiency, volume, and value tier all factor in. Style and conference context differ.
| Wk | Opponent | Result | Opp SP+ | Rec | Rec Yds | Avg | Rec TD | Long | EPA/play |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | @Navy | W49-7 | -8.5 | 2 | 61 | 30.5 | 0 | 41 | 1.44 |
| 2 | vsNorth Carolina Central | W44-10 | — | 3 | 12 | 4.0 | 0 | 8 | — |
| 3 | vsEast Carolina | L38-42 | 0.5 | 4 | 61 | 15.3 | 0 | 34 | 0.57 |
| 4 | @App State | L30-31 | 10.3 | 5 | 104 | 20.8 | 1 | 56 | 1.24 |
| 5 | @Middle Tennessee | L28-34 | -4.0 | 3 | 24 | 8.0 | 0 | 10 | -0.07 |
| 6 | vsOld Dominion | W20-13 | -7.4 | 2 | 18 | 9.0 | 0 | 12 | — |
| 7 | @North Texas | W49-21 | -6.5 | 5 | 77 | 15.4 | 1 | 33 | 1.00 |
| 9 | vsFlorida International | W38-0 | -21.6 | 5 | 40 | 8.0 | 0 | 20 | — |
| 10 | @Florida Atlantic | W28-13 | -5.2 | 3 | 14 | 4.7 | 0 | 7 | — |
| 11 | vsUAB | L14-21 | 9.1 | 2 | 9 | 4.5 | 0 | 5 | — |
| 12 | @Charlotte | W49-28 | -13.7 | 4 | 27 | 6.8 | 1 | 22 | 0.60 |
| 13 | vsWestern Kentucky | L21-53 | 13.3 | 3 | 29 | 9.7 | 0 | 22 | — |
| 1 | vsLouisiana | L21-36 | 8.7 | 1 | 7 | 7.0 | 0 | 7 | -0.41 |
Usage = share of team plays (CFBD has no true snap counts).
Rec 1 · Rec Yds 7 · Avg 7.0 · Rec TD 0