Jacksonville State University Athletics

JSU CAREER:
2013: Played in all 15 games for the Gamecocks as a junior earning the start at linebacker in 12 of them…racked up 40 tackles, led the Gamecocks with 6.5 sacks and was third on the team with 10 tackles for a loss…was credited with four quarterback hurries and a forced fumble…made a season-high eight tackles at UT Martin on Oct. 5…made at least one tackle in each of his last 13 games of the season and had at least one tackle for a loss in nine games…at McNeese State in the Second Round of the FCS Playoffs on Dec. 7, had three sacks to lead JSU to a school-record 11 sacks…his 10 tackles for a loss accounted for a total loss of 49 yards for opposing offenses…had a sack and forced a fumble vs. North Alabama on Sept. 14.

2012: Played in all 12 games for the Gamecocks as a sophomore and earned the starting nod at linebacker in the final two of them…recorded 20 tackles, 14 solo, including two sacks….had a season-high four tackles on Sept. 29 vs. Southeast Missouri…recorded three tackles twice, wrapping up three solo stops against Murray State on Oct. 27 and again at Florida on Nov. 17, a game in which he also had a sack…had two tackles and a sack at Tennessee Tech on Oct. 6.

2011: Played in three games as a true freshman against Austin Peay, Kentucky and Eastern Kentucky…finished his first season at JSU with six total tackles, including five unassisted stops…credited with three tackles against Kentucky.

HIGH SCHOOL: Played for Wes Hepler at West Forsyth High School…was a first-team all-region selection for three-straight years…played in the Rotary Bowl All-Star game…also recruited by Appalachian State, Wofford, Georgia State and Georgia Southern.

PERSONAL: Full name is Dustin Ryan Gayton…son of Mark and Patricia Gayton…born on Oct. 13, 1992, in Cumming, Ga…has two brothers, Chris and Justin, and one sister, Kristy…majoring in industrial leadership at JSU.