Short-yardage / goal-line · enumeration
Who gets the tough yard
3/15Inside-5 share
3 of the team's 15 inside-the-5 carries (20.0%).
Gemari Sands is a running back at Florida State who has not played in Florida State's 8 games this season; the last season with a stat line was 2025, at Florida Atlantic.
Where Sands comes from
- Fort Lauderdale, FL
- St. Thomas Aquinas
- About 400 miles from Doak Campbell Stadium
- Three-star, No. 1,173 in the 2023 class; signed with Florida Atlantic.
Where Sands fits
The consensus depth chart of May 27 lists Sands at RB, No. 1.
Florida State lists 6 running backs this season.
Florida State running backs with a game this season
Florida State is 3-5. Next: at Boston College, Sat Nov 7.
Similar players
Same class and position
From St. Thomas Aquinas
Also from Fort Lauderdale, FL
Sands wins in space out of the backfield. The two seasons span two head coaches: Chad Lunsford and Zach Kittley. One game to point at: 105 rushing yards and 13 receiving yards against Florida International — Week 3, 2025.
Style of play
Style of play
Play style
Deployed as a receiver as much as a runner. Value is in space, not between the tackles.
Similar players
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
Career stats
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Florida Atlantic | 105 | 465 | 4.4 | 0 | 37 |
| 2024 | Florida Atlantic | 31 | 117 | 3.8 | 2 | 22 |
| Career | 136 | 582 | 4.3 | 2 | 37 |
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Florida Atlantic | 40 | 217 | 5.4 | 0 | 18 |
| 2024 | Florida Atlantic | 3 | 60 | 20.0 | 0 | 34 |
| Career | 43 | 277 | 6.4 | 0 | 34 |
Game log
Game log · Week-by-week
2025 season · 12 games
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Wk | Opp | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | L 7-39@ Maryland | 9 | 44 | 4.9 | 0 | 23 | |
| Wk 2 | W 56-14vs Florida A&M | 10 | 83 | 8.3 | 0 | 37 | |
| Wk 3 | L 28-38@ Florida International | 14 | 105 | 7.5 | 0 | 26 | Season-high 105 yds |
| Wk 5 | L 26-55vs Memphis | 5 | 13 | 2.6 | 0 | 9 | |
| Wk 6 | W 27-21@ Rice | 3 | 9 | 3.0 | 0 | 5 | |
| Wk 7 | W 53-33vs UAB | 11 | 47 | 4.3 | 0 | 11 | |
| Wk 8 | L 13-48@ No. 19 South Florida | 7 | 7 | 1.0 | 0 | 6 | |
| Wk 9 | L 32-42@ Navy | 7 | 22 | 3.1 | 0 | 8 | |
| Wk 11 | W 40-21vs Tulsa | 6 | 7 | 1.2 | 0 | 6 | |
| Wk 12 | L 24-35@ Tulane | 13 | 50 | 3.8 | 0 | 11 | |
| Wk 13 | L 45-48vs UConn | 11 | 44 | 4.0 | 0 | 10 | |
| Wk 14 | L 3-42vs East Carolina | 9 | 34 | 3.8 | 0 | 8 | |
| Total | 105 | 465 | 4.4 | 0 | 37 |
Signature game
Week 2 · 2025
W 56-14
vs Florida A&M
83 rush yds (10 car) · 5 rec · 28 yds
Dominant 42-point win at home against Florida A&M.
With C. Veltkamp — 309 yds · 5 TD · 0 INT · QBR 85.0 · 13 rush yds (5 car) · L. Lupo — 47.7 yards per punt · 3 punts · 2 inside the 20
Signature plays
The plays that mattered most
- Week 1 · Maryland · 3rd and 11 · Q2 · EPA +3.61Gemari Sands run for 23 yds to the MD 42 for a
- Week 1 · Maryland · 3rd and 17 · Q1 · EPA +3.51Caden Veltkamp pass complete to Gemari Sands for 18 yds to the MD 47 for a
- Week 7 · UAB · 4th and 3 · Q2 · EPA +3.02Gemari Sands run for 11 yds to the UAB 42 for a
- Week 2 · Florida A&M · 3rd and 2 · Q1 · EPA +2.78Gemari Sands run for 37 yds to the FAMU 18 for a
- Week 3 · Florida International · 2nd and 8 · Q2 · EPA +2.44Gemari Sands run for 19 yds to the FIU 43 for a
- Week 3 · Florida International · 1st and 10 · Q1 · EPA +2.32Gemari Sands run for 26 yds to the FIU 49 for a
4 more plays
- Week 3 · Florida International · 2nd and 10 · Q3 · EPA +2.28Gemari Sands run for 16 yds to the FAU 44 for a
- Week 12 · Tulane · 2nd and 10 · Q3 · EPA +2.02G.Sands rush middle for 11 yards gain (J.Tchienchou)
- Week 12 · Tulane · 3rd and 8 · Q1 · EPA +2.00Veltkamp to Sands: a 9-yard pass.
- Week 14 · East Carolina · 3rd and 3 · Q3 · EPA +1.95G.Sands rush left for 8 yards gain (C.Graves)
Rushing profile
Rush profile · Shape, efficiency, and ball security
How he gets his yards, and how often it works
103 of 105 carries matched to play-by-play
Success rate
34%103 carriesStuffed
0 or fewer yds14%of carries
14 carries
Grind
1–3 yds43%of carries
44 carries
Chunk
4–9 yds32%of carries
33 carries
Explosive
10+ yds12%of carries
12 carries
6 of 7 (86%) converted on 3rd/4th & short (≤2 to go) · 0 of 3 (0%) scored from inside the 5-yard line
4.4 yds/carry on 105 carries · 12% explosive (10+ yds) · 34% success rate.
Receiving profile
Receiver profile · Targets, catch rate, and throw depth
How often he's targeted, and how well it works
38 of 40 receptions matched to play-by-play
21 of 43 targets charted for true throw depth
Targets
438% of team targetsCatch rate
88%38 of 43 targetsBehind LOS · Negative air yds
38% of targets (8)
75%catch rate
Air -3.8 · YAC 9.0 avg
Short · 0–9 air yds
62% of targets (13)
92%catch rate
Air 2.7 · YAC 3.4 avg
88% catch rate on 43 targets · 8% of the team's targets.
Situational
Situational · Carry shape (PBP, full season)
Yardage DNA
14%
Stuffed (≤0)
43%
Grind (1–3)
32%
Chunk (4–9)
12%
Explosive (10+)
Teams and coaches
2024Florida Atlantic3-9HC: Tom Herman · Run-leaning
2025Florida Atlantic4-8HC: Zach Kittley · Pass-heavy, fast tempo
Our ratings
Splits
Home and road splits, scheme and staff
Splits · Per-game
2025 season · 12 games
Home vs Road
| YDS/g | YPC | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home6g | 38.0 | 4.0 | 0.0 |
| Road6g | 39.5 | 3.9 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| YDS/g | YPC | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-76g | 50.2 | 5.1 | 0.0 |
| Weeks 8+6g | 27.3 | 2.8 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Zach Kittley
Pass share
62.3%
580 pass / 351 run
Plays / game
77.6
12 games
Team sack rate
3.6%
606 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Pass-heavy, fast tempo.
Awards
Player standing · 2025
Starter
105 carries and 40 catches in 12 games, about as many touches a game as a typical FBS running back who plays every week.
Recognition
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Production · CFB Zeitgeist Score
43 · #186 of 326 RBs · 2025, at Florida Atlantic
Three-star recruit. Now #186 at the position.
Starter
The No. 1,173 recruit in the country is carrying the ball in the ACC as a senior.
Four seasons, two schools
- 2026 Florida State NorvellYear 4 · on the roster, no stat line
- Jan 2026 Entered the transfer portalFlorida Atlantic to Florida State
- 2025 Florida Atlantic KittleyYear 3 · 12 games
- 2024 Florida Atlantic HermanYear 2 · 7 games
- 2023 Florida Atlantic HermanYear 1 · on the roster, no stat line
- High school St. Thomas AquinasFort Lauderdale, FL · Class of 2023Three-star, No. 1,173 in the 2023 class. Signed with Florida Atlantic.Also from St. Thomas Aquinas: King Mack (NC State), Justice Fitzpatrick (Georgia), Jordan Lyle (Miami) and 48 more.
Moves
- Transferred from Florida Atlantic to Florida State, Jan 16, 2026.
2023
- Signed with Florida AtlanticThree-star, out of St. Thomas Aquinas
2026
- Transferred to Florida Statefrom Florida Atlantic
Coaching lineage · 2023–2026
3 coaches2023–2024
Florida Atlantic
Played for 3 head coaches at 2 schools: Tom Herman, Zach Kittley and Mike Norvell.
Next stop · Transfer
Transferred to Florida State
2023–25Florida Atlantic
2026Florida State