Lone Star State DE Gray ecstatic to collect initial Big 12 offer
Although he already had a pair of Power-5 offers under his belt, a Texas defensive end said it was his initial Big 12 one last week from Iowa State that has really caught his eye.
Haslet Eaton rising senior Jayden Gray, whose father Jonathan was an all-Big 12 offensive tackle at Texas Tech in the late ‘90s, said the Cyclones got involved earlier this month and became the first offer in a conference he’s very familiar with.
“Coach (Eli) Rasheed originally followed me about a month ago,” said Gray. “A few other coaches also started following me, like Nate Scheelhaase and Colby Kratch. I knew that Coach Rasheed had been looking at my tape, but I didn’t hear anything. I DM’d Coach Nate and Coach Kratch just to say hello and that I hoped they were doing well and staying healthy.
“Coach Kratch reached back out and we started having conversations, and then the next day Coach Nate asked for my phone number. My dad played in the Big 12 at Texas Tech from 1996 to 2000, so (Kratch) was making connections with that and telling us how the coaching staff had come along and the program had come along. He told me more about Iowa State. He said they were really interested in my film and wanted to recruit me.
“Eventually, I heard from Coach Rasheed to introduce himself as the d-line coach. Surprisingly, he said they were going to offer me a scholarship to play at Iowa State. He said the piece matches the puzzle with me. They like who I am on and off the field. He did a Zoom meeting with me and my dad. He went over their defensive schemes and where I would play.”
The 6-foot-3, 235-pound Gray, who is committed to North Texas, also claims P5 offers from the likes of Northwestern and Virginia Tech. He posted 54 tackles and eight sacks as a junior.
As for his latest major-college offer, the defensive end said ISU likes what he could bring to the table in Jon Heacock’s defensive system.
“(Rasheed) really likes my physicalness,” Gray said. “The aggression with my hands…he really likes. At the point of attack, whenever I go against a tackle, I’m very aggressive off the ball. Due to the pandemic, he couldn’t come evaluate me, so he watched more than my highlight tape. He watched my game film. He wanted to see the type of player I was on the plays that are not on my highlight reel. He said I really fit their program, because I’m hustling to the ball and not taking plays off.”
A recent Zoom meeting shed more light on ISU’s unique defense and how Gray could make an impact.
“They run a 3-3-5 defense,” Gray said. “Coach Rasheed described to me where I would be and that go me and my dad fired up. When we were watching film of other players, it gave me that visual that I could be playing there at that position. I could play a five-technique or a three-head-up technique.
Jonathan Gray, who was a Lubbock (Texas) standout before joining his hometown Red Raiders, is taking an active role in his son’s recruitment and likes the early impression the Cyclones have made.
“I love how family oriented they are,” Jayden said. “They’re not recruiting just me. They’re going to recruit the whole Gray family. That’s super-important. My dad told Coach Rasheed that he checked all of my dad’s boxes of what he likes in a coach.
“We can tell that the Iowa State coaching staff is invested in you. They’re a blue-collar team. They’re not looking for all five-star or four-star recruits, but someone that can come into the program and develop.
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