When talking about big time running backs in the class of 2019, you can’t get far without mentioning 4-star Eric Gray from Lausanne Collegiate in Tennessee. One of the first schools to give him a chance? That was the Miami Hurricanes.
“That was one of my first ones,” said Gray on his Canes offer. “It was awesome when I found out. I was in class and they actually told my coach and he relayed the information to me. It was then I realized I could really play big time college football.”
Lately, though, communication between Gray and the staff at Miami has fallen off.
“No, I don’t talk to them that much at all,” Gray said. “I haven’t talked to them in a while.”
However, if contact picked back up, Gray says he would entertain the idea of playing for Miami. It’s the many past greats that were developed at UM, along with their early offer, that would keep the Canes in the hunt.
“Just the history behind the U,” Gray said. “So many great players came from the U and being able to have a school like that take an interest in me so early was a big deal honestly.”
A monster junior season on the field led Gray’s already considerable recruiting attention to skyrocket even more and he was also an integral part of his team’s state championship run.
“It was pretty good, we won another state championship,” Gray said of his junior year. “I had 50 touchdowns and 3,100 yards, won Mr. Football and Gatorade Player of the Year.”
Lately, Gray’s lost a few pounds from his frame due to running track, but plans to bulk back up a bit in time for his senior year on the gridiron.
“Right now I’m 5’10” 192,” Gray said. “It’s been track season so I’ve been cutting a bit, but I want to get back up to 196, 197 for the football season.”
While Gray isn’t ready to name leaders in his recruitment, top programs with a mostly SEC feel have been lining up to try and sway him to their school and he says he talks to eight the most.
“I hear from lot of different ones,” Gray said. “Ole Miss, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Mississippi State, Penn State, Stanford, LSU, and Florida are probably in contact the most right now.”
In terms of visit plans, Gray has locked in an official to see Happy Valley and the Penn State Nittany Lions and it seems the coaching staff led by James Franklin is what attracts him the most to playing for PSU.
“Penn State has a great coaching staff,” Gray said. “They lost a little bit from losing coach Moorehead and coach Huff, but I still think they have a lot. They added coach Seider and the new offensive coordinator, coach Rahne. I think they’re going to be pretty good, if not better, than they were last year.”
This talented weapon out of the backfield has a decision date already in mind and it is fast approaching. When it comes time to finally make his choice, Gray will be focusing on what a school can offer outside of football.
“I’m looking at June 30th to decide,” Gray said. “What I’m looking for, well, picking a school is a generational thing. It’s not just 4 years, it’s a lifetime decision. I want to be set up for life after football. I ask myself, if football wasn’t there, would I still want to go to this school?”
“That was one of my first ones,” said Gray on his Canes offer. “It was awesome when I found out. I was in class and they actually told my coach and he relayed the information to me. It was then I realized I could really play big time college football.”
Lately, though, communication between Gray and the staff at Miami has fallen off.
“No, I don’t talk to them that much at all,” Gray said. “I haven’t talked to them in a while.”
However, if contact picked back up, Gray says he would entertain the idea of playing for Miami. It’s the many past greats that were developed at UM, along with their early offer, that would keep the Canes in the hunt.
“Just the history behind the U,” Gray said. “So many great players came from the U and being able to have a school like that take an interest in me so early was a big deal honestly.”
A monster junior season on the field led Gray’s already considerable recruiting attention to skyrocket even more and he was also an integral part of his team’s state championship run.
“It was pretty good, we won another state championship,” Gray said of his junior year. “I had 50 touchdowns and 3,100 yards, won Mr. Football and Gatorade Player of the Year.”
Lately, Gray’s lost a few pounds from his frame due to running track, but plans to bulk back up a bit in time for his senior year on the gridiron.
“Right now I’m 5’10” 192,” Gray said. “It’s been track season so I’ve been cutting a bit, but I want to get back up to 196, 197 for the football season.”
While Gray isn’t ready to name leaders in his recruitment, top programs with a mostly SEC feel have been lining up to try and sway him to their school and he says he talks to eight the most.
“I hear from lot of different ones,” Gray said. “Ole Miss, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Mississippi State, Penn State, Stanford, LSU, and Florida are probably in contact the most right now.”
In terms of visit plans, Gray has locked in an official to see Happy Valley and the Penn State Nittany Lions and it seems the coaching staff led by James Franklin is what attracts him the most to playing for PSU.
“Penn State has a great coaching staff,” Gray said. “They lost a little bit from losing coach Moorehead and coach Huff, but I still think they have a lot. They added coach Seider and the new offensive coordinator, coach Rahne. I think they’re going to be pretty good, if not better, than they were last year.”
This talented weapon out of the backfield has a decision date already in mind and it is fast approaching. When it comes time to finally make his choice, Gray will be focusing on what a school can offer outside of football.
“I’m looking at June 30th to decide,” Gray said. “What I’m looking for, well, picking a school is a generational thing. It’s not just 4 years, it’s a lifetime decision. I want to be set up for life after football. I ask myself, if football wasn’t there, would I still want to go to this school?”
