Amari Gainer

Early life

Gainer was born on June 22, 2000, and grew up in Tallahassee, Florida. His father was a wide receiver who played college football for the Florida State Seminoles. He attended Lawton Chiles High School where he was a football player, totaling 93 tackles, 24 tackles-for-loss (TFLs) and 12 sacks as a senior. He was a top-250 recruit and a four-star prospect, ultimately committing to play college football for Florida State, the school his father had attended.

College career

As a true freshman at Florida State in 2018, Gainer suffered a broken foot and redshirted, having appeared in four games during the season. He became a starter in 2019. With 13 games played, and nine starts, in the 2019 season, he recorded 69 tackles, seven tackles-for-loss and 3.5 sacks. He then was the team leader with 65 tackles in 2020. Gainer recorded 59 tackles, 5.5 tackles-for-loss and a sack during the 2021 season, then posted 17 tackles, 1.5 tackles-for-loss and a sack in 2022.

Gainer transferred to the North Carolina Tar Heels for his final season in 2023, ending his stint at Florida State having made 210 tackles, 19 tackles-for-loss, six sacks and five forced fumbles. In his lone year with the Tar Heels, he appeared in all 13 games and posted 27 tackles, six tackles-for-loss and 2.5 sacks.