Memphis native Eric Gray previews Penn State official visit
Penn State will host the top prospect in Memphis this upcoming weekend in running back Eric Gray.
Listed at 5-foot-10, 185 pounds, Gray put up some eye-catching statistics his sophomore and junior season, rushing for a 5,366 yards and scoring 83 touchdowns at Lausanne Collegiate School. In addition to earning Gatorade Player of the Year honors, Gray has also earned nearly two-dozen scholarship offers, once of which came from Penn State at the end of February.
“I’ve been getting to know Coach [Ja’Juan] Seider for a couple months,” Gray said. “Right when he got the job at Penn State, he contacted me and was talking about how he heard about me and how he wanted to come down to see me. I remember him saying that he really liked my film and that he thought I was one of the top backs.
“He came down then [at the end of February]. I got an offer from him then and we’ve been talking basically everyday since. He then setup that official visit for me when he came down again in May.”
The official visit that Gray is referring to will take place this upcoming weekend, June 8-10. He said that there’s a lot that he still has to learn about University Park, but has discussed a few of the school’s highlights with Seider and head coach James Franklin.
“Coach Seider seems like a good guy. I’ve also talked to Coach [Kenny] Sanders. [Sanders] was actually the first coach to reach out to me, so I’m looking forward to getting to know them more and all the coaches,” said Gray. “I’ve also talked to Coach Franklin twice now and one of those was over FaceTime. Coach Franklin was telling me a lot about the school. I remember he was showing me their practice fields and some of that stuff on FaceTime.
“From the outside, looking in, it looks like a great program there. Everything I’ve seen online and stuff looks really nice. Also, you can’t go wrong with the school that just had Saquon Barkley running for them. It seems like a great atmosphere. It should be a fun visit.”
Just over a week ago, Gray took an unofficial visit to Texas A&M. Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Stanford and Tennessee are a few other schools he’s visited in recent months. If all goes to plan, Gray hopes to have his recruitment wrapped up by the end of the month.
“This is my only official that I have planned,” he said. “As long as I’m ready to make a move, I’m looking at making a decision towards the end of the month. I hope to know by then where I’m going.”
Gray is currently the sixth-ranked all-purpose running back in the Class of 2019. He’s also the 20th-ranked prospect in Tennessee.