#80

Zae Baines

Junior wide receiver for Temple. 2023: 36 catches, 442 receiving yards, 1 TD.

WR · Temple · Jr. · #80

6′3″ · 175 lb · Roanoke, VA

CFB Index 44 · #257 of 497 WRsHigh confidenceTemple 2023 alumnus

Recruiting

3★

WR recruit

No. 1941 nationally · Signed with Temple

No college snaps yet.

His career numbers, season by season

The story

3 wide receiver for Temple. 2023: 36 catches, 442 receiving yards, 1 TD.

Signed as a 3-star recruit to Temple in 2020.

His career, year by year

How it ended

Three seasons at Temple, 668 receiving yards — his college career is complete.

His career

He barely played early on. Then he did not come off the field.

The week the volume broke through — put up 132 yds vs Navy.Navy · W 32-182023

2020

Signed with Temple3-star out of North Cross School

Career arc

Recruit

★★★

#1941 national

CFB

College

Temple

2020–2023

NFL

NFL Draft

—

Not drafted

Coaching lineage · 2020–2023

2 coaches

2020

Rod Carey

Temple

2022–2023

Stan Drayton

Temple

era →

Coaching transition mid-career: Rod Carey → Stan Drayton. Worth noting in scheme + development context.

2023 snapshot

Season context · Team result + system

2020Temple1-6HC: Rod Carey · Run-leaning

2022Temple3-9HC: Stan Drayton · Pass-leaning

2023Temple3-9HC: Stan Drayton · Pass-leaning

Where this profile ranks vs the WR cohort

Box-score + play-by-play EPA percentiles

44Rotational starter #257 of 497?

High confidence13 metrics · season cumulative

Concern: td rate (19th percentile).

Real play-by-play efficiency

Yards / catch#313 / 639 · 51st pct

12.3

Explosive rate#432 / 639 · 32nd pct

10.2%

EPA / target#456 / 639 · 29th pct

0.55

Catch rate#488 / 639 · 24th pct

73.5%

TD rate#518 / 639 · 19th pct

2.0%

Box-score rates (8)

Long catch#151 / 566 · 73rd pct

Receptions#217 / 566 · 61st pct

Rec yards#239 / 566 · 58th pct

442

Rush TDs#54 / 294 · 41st pct

Rush yards#171 / 294 · 41st pct

Yards / catch#337 / 566 · 40th pct

12.3

Fumbles lost#93 / 227 · 35th pct

Rec TDs#375 / 566 · 23rd pct

Season trend

Last seasonThis season

EPA / target

16th → 29th percentile

Explosive rate

45th → 32nd percentile

Catch rate

2nd → 24th percentile

TD rate

48th → 19th percentile

Yards / catch

31st → 51st percentile

Percentiles versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season. Most bars are box-score rates; EPA / success-rate bars are computed from real play-by-play (offense only — no defensive EPA model exists yet).

Splits & context

Splits · Per-game

2023 season · 11 games

Home/Road · Season halves

Home vs Road

	REC/g	YDS/g	YPR	TD/g
Home6g	3.8	52.8	14.1	0.0
Road5g	2.6	25.0	12.6	0.2

First half vs Second half

	REC/g	YDS/g	YPR	TD/g
Weeks 1-76g	2.8	31.3	14.3	0.0
Weeks 8+5g	3.8	50.8	12.3	0.2

Supporting cast · Scheme

Staff and system around the player

2026 season

Head Coach

K.C. Keeler

Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.

Awards

Player standing · 2023

Rotational

Earning real snaps in the rotation without a starting job.

Recognition

Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex

Production · CFB Index Score

44 · #257 of 497 WRs

Three-star recruit. Now #257 at the position.

Career stats

Season	Team
2023	Temple	36	442	12.3	1	--
2022	Temple	19	226	11.9	2	--
2020	Temple	--	--	--	--	--
Career		55	668	12.1	3	--

Season	Team
2023	Temple	2	7	--	--	--
2022	Temple	4	19	--	--	--
2020	Temple	--	--	--	--	--
Career		6	26	--	--	--

Signature game

SIGNATURE GAME · Week 3 · 2023

W 41–9

vs Norfolk State

2 rec · 49 yds

Dominant 32-point win at home against Norfolk State.

With E. Warner — 238 yds · 1 TD · 0 INT · QBR 91.9 · 24 rush yds (3 car) · J. Smith — 142 rush yds (15 car) · 1 TD

Signature plays

Signature plays · top plays by |EPA|

The plays that mattered most

fact

Week 10 · Navy · 2&10 · Q4 · EPA +4.22E.J. Warner pass complete to Zae Baines for 60 yds to the NAVY 15 for a 1ST down
Week 3 · Norfolk State · 3&6 · Q1 · EPA +3.64E.J. Warner pass complete to Zae Baines for 32 yds to the NORF 31 for a 1ST down
Week 1 · Akron · 3&5 · Q3 · EPA +3.57E.J. Warner pass complete to Zae Baines for 31 yds to the AKR 41 for a 1ST down
Week 11 · South Florida · 1&10 · Q4 · EPA +2.62E.J. Warner pass complete to Zae Baines for 20 yds for a TD (Camden Price KICK)
Week 10 · Navy · 3&4 · Q2 · EPA +2.19E.J. Warner pass complete to Zae Baines for 19 yds to the TEM 40 for a 1ST down
Week 8 · SMU · 2&10 · Q2 · EPA +2.12Quincy Patterson pass complete to Zae Baines for 11 yds to the 50 yard line for a 1ST down
Week 2 · Rutgers · 3&8 · Q3 · EPA +1.90E.J. Warner pass complete to Zae Baines for 21 yds to the RUTG 4 for a 1ST down
Week 10 · Navy · 2&7 · Q2 · EPA +1.89E.J. Warner pass complete to Zae Baines for 15 yds to the NAVY 42 for a 1ST down
Week 10 · Navy · 1&10 · Q1 · EPA +1.68E.J. Warner pass complete to Zae Baines for 18 yds to the TEM 49 for a 1ST down
Week 1 · Akron · 3&2 · Q1 · EPA +1.46E.J. Warner pass complete to Zae Baines for 8 yds to the AKR 39 for a 1ST down

Game log

Game log · Week-by-week

2023 season · 11 games

Box score · CFBD

Wk	Opp	REC	YDS	AVG	TD	LONG	Note
Wk 1	W 24-21vs Akron	4	48	12.0	0	31
Wk 2	L 7-36@ Rutgers	1	21	21.0	0	21
Wk 3	W 41-9vs Norfolk State	2	49	24.5	0	32
Wk 4	L 7-41vs Miami	5	34	6.8	0	13
Wk 5	L 26-48@ Tulsa	4	19	4.8	0	7
Wk 7	L 14-45@ North Texas	1	17	17.0	0	17
Wk 8	L 0-55vs SMU	2	27	13.5	0	16
Wk 10	W 32-18vs Navy	7	132	18.9	0	60	Season-high 132 yds
Wk 11	L 23-27@ South Florida	3	38	12.7	1	20
Wk 12	L 24-34@ UAB	4	30	7.5	0	15
Wk 13	L 21-45vs Memphis	3	27	9.0	0	11
Total		36	442	13.4	1	60

Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology

Zae Baines

2020

2023 snapshot

Splits & context

Awards

Rotational

Career stats

Signature game

Signature plays

Game log

How he plays

DNA match

Possession Receiver

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