DeMarquis Gates

DeMarquis Larenz Gates (born March 7, 1996) is an American football linebacker for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Ole Miss Rebels.

DeMarquis Gates
Minnesota Vikings
Position:Linebacker
Personal information
Born: (1996-03-07) March 7, 1996
Height:6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight:221 lb (100 kg)
Career information
High school:Lovejoy (Hampton, Georgia)
College:Ole Miss
Undrafted:2018
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Roster status:Active
Career NFL statistics as of 2019
Player stats at NFL.com

Early years

Gates attended Lovejoy High School in Hampton, Georgia. As a junior at Lovejoy, Gates made 132 tackles and was named All-Region. He missed his senior season with a torn ACL.[1] Ranked the No. 16 outside linebacker in his class by 247 Sports, Gates signed with Ole Miss on March 28, 2013.[2]

College career

Gates played linebacker at Ole Miss Rebels. In November 2015, Gates made his second career start against LSU in place of the injured Denzel Nkemdiche. Gates finished with 14 tackles, a pass breakup, and a quarterback hurry and was named SEC Defensive Player of the Week.[3] He led the team in tackles from 2015 to 2017, becoming the first Ole Miss player to do so since Abdul Jackson from 1992 to 1994.[4] Prior to the 2017 season, he was named to the Dick Butkis Award watchlist.[5] During his senior season in 2017, Gates made 114 tackles, including an SEC-best 70 solo tackles that ranked 13th in FBS. He became the first Ole Miss player with more than 100 tackles since Patrick Willis in 2006.[6] In 49 career games, Gates made 282 tackles, nine pass breakups, six sacks, four forced fumbles and a fumble recovery.[4]

Professional career

After going undrafted in the 2018 NFL draft, Gates was signed by the Cleveland Browns on May 22, 2018.[4] He was waived on June 14.[7]

Gates joined the Memphis Express of the Alliance of American Football (AAF). On March 28, 2019, Gates was named AAF Defensive Player of the Week.[8] The AAF abruptly folded on April 2 after eight games. Gates led the AAF in tackles with 52 and forced fumbles with five.[9] On April 11, Gates was signed by the Washington Redskins.[10] He was waived on June 11.[11]

Gates was selected by the Houston Roughnecks in Phase 3 Round 8 of the 2020 XFL Draft.[12] Before the season was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic, Gates had 32 tackles (second on the team) and 2.0 sacks (tied for the team lead) for the Roughnecks. He had a game-winning fumble recovery against the Dallas Renegades and forced a fumble late versus the Seattle Dragons. On March 25, Gates signed with the Minnesota Vikings.[6]

References
  1. Young, Lindsey (March 27, 2020). "5 Things to Know About New Vikings LB DeMarquis Gates". Vikings.com. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  2. Kulha, Andrew (March 28, 2013). "DeMarquis Gates Commits to Ole Miss: Rebels Land Talented 4-Star LB". Bleacher Report. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  3. "DeMarquis Gates wins SEC Defensive Player of Week Award". Fox Sports. November 23, 2015. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  4. Williams, Charean (May 22, 2018). "Browns sign DeMarquis Gates". NBC Sports. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
  5. "Lovejoy alum and current Ole Miss Rebel DeMarquis Gates named to Butkis Award preseason watch list". Clayton News-Daily. July 20, 2017. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  6. Peters, Craig (March 25, 2020). "Vikings Agree to Terms with XFL LB DeMarquis Gates". Vikings.com. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
  7. Labbe, Dan (June 14, 2018). "Browns sign Solon native, former Walsh Jesuit kicker Ross Martin". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved June 14, 2018.
  8. Skipper, Daniel (March 28, 2018). "Ole Miss Football: DeMarquis Gates Named AAF Player Of The Week". OleHottyToddy.com. FanSided. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  9. Johnson, David (April 10, 2019). "What's Next For DeMarquis Gates In Wake Of AAF Collapse?". 247 Sports. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  10. "Redskins Sign Linebacker DeMarquis Gates". Redskins.com. April 11, 2019. Retrieved April 11, 2019.
  11. "Redskins Sign DB Ashton Lampkin, Waive LB DeMarquis Gates". Redskins.com. June 11, 2019. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  12. Bender, Bill (October 21, 2019). "XFL Draft picks 2019: Complete results, rosters, players for new football league". Sporting News. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
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