Gates could be one of the most exciting offensive players in NCAA Division II football in 2009, combining soft hands and blazing speed to make him one of the top deep threats in college football.  Enters the season as the Wildcats’ primary receiving threat  Gates could be the fastest player in the Lone Star Conference and one of the fastest players in the nation. 

2008 (Sophomore):  Gates started and played in 10 games for the Wildcats, fighting off a leg injury early in the season that kept him out of two games.  Gates, a first team all-LSC South Division selection in 2008, finished the season with 31 catches for 716 yards and eight touchdowns, including a career-long 74-yard TD grab against Eastern New Mexico.  He also carried the ball 11 times for 94  yards and one score (vs. West Texas A&M).  He had a pair of 100-yard receiving games: five catches for 122 yards in Wildcats’ 44-27 season-opening win at Northwest Missouri State (Aug. 30) and eight catches for 164 yards and two scores against Eastern New Mexico (Sept. 27).  He had a pair of touchdown catches against East Central in a 66-7 win on Oct. 4 and two in a regular-season-ending win over Midwestern State (Nov. 8).  In ACU’s 93-68 win over West Texas A&M in the second round of the NCAA Division II playoffs on Nov. 22, Gates caught two passes for 87 yards, including a 65-yard touchdown reception on ACU’s third play of the game. 

2007 (Freshman):  Played in 11 games for the Wildcats, finishing with 12 catches for 285 yards and one touchdown.  He also carried the ball 14 times for 189 yards and four more scores.  He had 14 kickoff returns for 402 yards with a long return of 86 yards.  Gates had 876 all-purpose yards in 2007.  Burst onto the scene as a viable threat in the Wildcats’ 50-14 win at Southwestern Oklahoma State on Sept. 22 when he carried the ball three times for 30 yards (long of 21 yards) and caught one pass for 38 yards.  Three games later at Angelo State, Gates had two carries for 45 yards and one TD (38-yard run) and caught one pass for a 56-yard touchdown.  Two weeks later against Tarleton State he had a 73-yard TD run on a receiver end-around and caught a 66-yard pass from Bernard Scott on a halfback pass.  He also had three kickoffs for 77 yards in the game with a long of 37 yards.  His longest kickoff return of the season came against Chadron State in the Wildcats’ epic 76-73 triple-overtime loss.  He had six kickoff returns in the game for 161 yards, including an 86-yarder in the first quarter that set up a 2-yard touchdown run by Scott.  Gates was voted honorable mention all-LSC South Division. 

High school:  All-district basketball player at Vernon HS. 

Personal:  Born 13 June 1986.  2004 graduate of Vernon High School.