Phillip Gaines

High school

Gaines attended Judson High School in Converse, Texas, where he played football and ran track. He totalled 110 tackles and four interceptions during his two seasons, and blocked five kicks as a senior, leading Judson to the state title game played at Rice Stadium. Academically, he had a 3.7 GPA.

As a track and field athlete, Gaines was ranked as one of the top 110m hurdlers in the state as a senior. As a junior, he ran a leg on Judson's 4 × 100 m relay squad that finished third at the state track meet, with a school-record time of 40.91 seconds. At the 2009 Texas Relays, he placed 7th in the 110-meter hurdles with a PR time of 14.09 seconds. He took silver in the long jump at the 2009 Converse Wagner Meet, with a leap of 6.70 meters (21 ft 11 in). He recorded a personal-best time of 38.54 seconds in the 300-meter hurdles at the 2009 District 27-5A Meet, winning the event.

Gaines was regarded as a two-star recruit by Rivals.com. Gaines first got his recognition while starring in high school as the overall mvp at the national underclassmen combine and showcase hosted by NUCSports.com and David Schuman

College career

Gaines attended Rice University from 2009 to 2013. As a true freshman, he played in nine games, starting six, before an injury vs. SMU ended his season. He recorded 28 total tackles and broke up three passes. In 2010, he played in all 12 games, recording 64 tackles, including two for loss, and six pass break ups. In 2011, he played in only five games, including three starts, before sustaining an injury at Southern Miss, and was given a medical redshirt. In 2012, he started all 13 games, recording 33 tackles, and 18 pass break ups, which led the Conference USA and was second nationally, and earned himself consensus C-USA honors. In 2013, he was named the Conference USA Pre-season Defensive Player of the Year. He was suspended for the opening game of the season vs. Texas A&M, due to violation of team rules. He went on to start the next 12 games of the season, recording 36 tackles, including four for loss, four interceptions and nine pass break ups, and was named first team All-C-USA for the second consecutive season.

Gaines set a school record by breaking up 38 passes in his career.

2014 NFL Draft

He was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the third round (87th overall) of the 2014 NFL Draft.

2014 season

Gaines was bumped up the depth chart after the Chiefs released Pro Bowler Brandon Flowers. He played in all 4 preseason games, including a start against the Green Bay Packers in the last preseason game. Gaines started the season on the bench, and recorded his first tackle of the season in a Week 3 win against the Miami Dolphins. He would go on to play in 13 games, 5 of those as a starter.

2015 season

Gaines started the first three games of 2015 before suffering a torn ACL in Week 3 against the Packers. He was placed on injured reserve on September 30, 2015, ending his season.

2016 season

In Week 8, Gaines recorded his first interception against Andrew Luck in a 30-14 win over the Colts.

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