Former Bearcat Gaines preps for senior season as Razorback

Published 3:19 pm Friday, July 17, 2015

Former Bainbridge High School Bearcats All-Region 1-AAAA defensive back Rohan Gaines, son of Maurice and Loretta Gaines of Bainbridge, will be beginning his senior season as a starting defensive back with the Arkansas Razorbacks football team this fall.

Gaines, who has won honors throughout his first three years of competition with the Razorbacks, is a former male senior athlete of the year at Bainbridge High School where he starred as a defensive back in football and a point guard in basketball.

During his redshirt freshman year with the Razorbacks in 2012, he was named freshman All-American by Fox Sports and was named to the Southeastern Conference All-Freshman team. He competed in all 12 Razorback games that season and started in 11 of them.

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He recorded 75 tackles, four pass breakups, one quarterback hurry and one forced fumble. His tackle totals ranked second on the team and third among Southeastern Conference freshmen. In a game against the No. 1 ranked Alabama Crimson Tide that season, he made career-high 11 tackles.

As a sophomore in 2013, Gaines played in 10 games, started in five, and recorded 33 tackles, a fumble recovery, two quarterback hurries and one pass breakup against the University of South Carolina Gamecocks.

As a junior in 2014, Gaines started 10 of 12 games, recorded 59 tackles, forced one fumble and had one fumble recovery and five pass breakups against the number six ranked Auburn Tigers. That season he also registered eight tackles, seven of which were solo in the season opener against the Mississippi State Bulldogs. Also during his junior season, Gaines returned an interception 100 yards for a touchdown, tying a record for the longest interception return in school history in the Razorbacks 30-0 victory over the University of Mississippi Rebels. He also recorded seven tackles and recovered a fumble against the Missouri Tigers that season.