Grind City Football: Resilient Gray supplying leadership and big-play muscle to bolster Mississippi State’s strong start
Michael WallaceBy Pete Wickham
Grind City Media CorrespondentSTARKVILLE, Miss.– Search through all of the vital yet intricate details that may explain Mississippi State’s 3-0 start, national ranking in the polls and strengthening threat as a potential challenger to Alabama in the SEC West, and Donald Gray’s impact quickly emerges.
He just might be a quiet pillar of the Bulldogs’ surprising start.
Less than a month into the season, and on the heels of last week’s 37-7 home thrashing of then-No. 11 LSU, Mississippi State is back in the Top 25 for the first time since Dak Prescott’s days in Starkville. As the No. 17 Bulldogs (3-0) finalize preparations for Saturday’s huge road SEC game against No. 11 Georgia (3-0), MSU coach Dan Mullen counts Gray among the key contributors responsible for the early success.
Gray, a senior receiver and former standout at Memphis’ White Station High, has led by example on and off the field in his two seasons at MSU. Among the highlights from last Saturday’s breakthrough was one that came before the Bulldogs ever scored in their most lopsided win over LSU in the rivalry’s history.
It was on SEC Nation’s ‘Game Day’ set outside of Davis Wade Stadium where popular college football analyst and Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow recognized Gray as his ‘Freak of the Week.’ Tebow passionately pointed out Gray’s weight room heroics, athleticism and ability to make difficult catches.
“I’m so hyped about this dude … he’s on the all-hands team,” said Tebow, who played on two of the Florida Gators’ national title teams. “Donald Gray has the strongest grip in the history of Mississippi State. By the way, he also runs a 4.4 40. And over the last two years, he’s only dropped three passes. When you can grip like that, you can snag the football however you want. That’s a grown man.”
MSU senior receiver Donald Gray leads the Bulldogs with 10 catches for 95 yards through three games this season (Credit: Mississippi State Athletics)
Gray’s a resilient one, too.
At 5-11 and 200 pounds, his most remarkable feat hasn’t come in the weight room nor on the football field, where Gray has 72 career receptions for 1,190 yards and eight touchdowns and has also caught at least one pass in 10 consecutive games. It’s his work in the classroom that sets Gray apart as a leader.
Just consider his backstory.
As the No. 2-rated prospect in Tennessee as a high school senior four years ago, Gray committed to Mississippi State but failed to qualify academically. Instead, he wound up at Copiah-Lincoln Community College, and attacked his challenges both on and off the field.
Gray received his associate’s degree after one spectacular season on the field and 18 months in the classroom. He immediately enrolled at State two years ago, and last December his parents watched proudly as he received his bachelor’s degree in sociology. He’s taking a few additional courses this fall to help determine “what direction I might want to go (in grad school).”
Mullen appreciates what Gray adds as a player, but admires his turnaround as a student and mentor.
“These kids get an invitation to walk through the door, but their priorities have a lot to do with how they walk out the door after their career is over,” Mullen said. “Donald was a non-qualifier coming out, but he quickly understood this is more than just about the game. And he’s accomplished everything he can do in the classroom in a short period of time.”
Mississippi State quarterback Nick Fitzgerald, the SEC’s offensive player of the week, says the Bulldogs remain hungry and focused after last Saturday’s dominant win over LSU.
In his junior season at MSU, Gray showed flashes of the speed and power that made him such a recruiting prize out of White Station. He was second on the team with 42 receptions while finishing fourth in the SEC with a 17.7 yards-per-catch average. Among his five touchdowns were two that came on plays of 70 or more yards in a game against Samford. And Gray’s touchdown catch last November in the Egg Bowl gave the Bulldogs the lead for good against archrival Ole Miss.
Through his first three games this season, Gray has drawn more attention from defenses but still leads the team with 10 catches for 95 yards and one touchdown. His most effective work has come on special teams, where Gray ripped off a 52-yard kickoff return in the season opener against Charleston Southern and is averaging 24.5 yards on punt returns through three games.
The Bulldogs focused on running the ball to batter LSU’s defense, so Gray had just three catches. But one key grab for 11 yards came on a third-down conversion deep in LSU territory to set up a touchdown that allowed MSU to put the game away early in the fourth quarter.
The schedule only grows tougher with back-to-back games looming at Georgia and Auburn, but the Bulldogs will continue to turn to Gray to help get them through adversity on the road.
“He understands everybody’s looking up to him,” Mullen said of Gray. “He knows how to lead, has the right personality and work ethic. And he holds other guys up to a standard. But he still does it with a fun, kind of silly personality that keeps it (loose).”
Just don’t challenge him in the weight room.
Gray is considered the kingpin of the plate drill, which involves a player doing squats while holding a number of 45-pound weight plates with their fingertips. MSU receivers coach Billy Gonzales said Gray “has the strongest hands of any receiver” he’s ever been around.
“I think my record is 21 reps, or maybe 22,” said Gray, who turns 23 in December and has learned to take advantage of every opportunity he’s had at MSU. “I know my time here is short. I want to take in every day, every moment. We want to see how much we can accomplish playing to our full capability.”
The contents of this page have not been reviewed or endorsed by the Memphis Grizzlies. All opinions expressed by Michael Wallace and/or Pete Wickhamare solely his own and do not reflect the opinions of the Memphis Grizzlies or its Basketball Operations staff, owners, parent companies, partners or sponsors. His sources are not known to the Memphis Grizzlies and he has no special access to information beyond the access and privileges that go along with being an NBA accredited member of the media.
Published on Sep 21, 2016
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