Oklahoma football: Eric Gray’s value more than just ground game
By Chip Rouse
Transfer running back Eric Gray’s versatility brings a dimension to the Oklahoma football offense that has been a Sooner staple and required skill set since Lincoln Riley arrived on campus.
It goes back even further than Riley, actually. Bob Stoops also wanted his running backs to be able to find the holes and gain positive yardage running with the ball, as well as be able to catch and run with the ball.
Gray fits right into that mold, which means, barring unforeseen injury, Sooner fans will probably see quite a bit of him come football season next fall. An d they’ll get a glimpse of what Gray brings to the offense in the annual Red-White Spring Game later this month
The former Tennessee running back entered the transfer portal last season after the firing of head coach Jeremy Pruitt. He was one of a number of Tennessee players who elected to seek greener pastures following the coaching change. Oklahoma picked up three of the Tennessee transfers. Along with Gray, the Sooners also welcomed talented offensive lineman and former Volunteer Wanya Morris as well as defensive back Key Lawrence to the roster.
Gray is expected to be teamed with Kennedy Brooks, who returns this season after opting out a year ago because of COVID concerns, as the primary one-two combination in the Oklahoma backfield this fall.
Listed at 5-foot, 10 inches and 206 pounds, Gray rushed for 1,311 yards in his two seasons at Tennessee, and was the Volunteers’ leading rusher a year ago with 772 yards on the ground and an average of nearly five yards per carry. He also was on the receiving end of 30 passes a year ago for an additional 254 yards and two touchdowns.
He led Tennessee in rushing in eight of the nine games he played in last season, eclipsing the 100-yard mark five different times. While in high school in Memphis, Gray set a Tennessee state record with 138 career touchdowns.
Gray was not recruited by Oklahoma out of high school, but it didn’t take him long after his decision to transfer from Tennessee to decide that OU was where he wanted to be.
“I kind of knew from the jump that this was the place I wanted to be,” the former Tennessee running back said in an interview with Ryan Aber of The Oklahoman.
“Just looking at the past you see how great the offense is. I saw myself and how great I could fit into the offense, just playing for a guy like Lincoln Riley and having a position coach like DeMarco Murray, someone who’s played in the league (NFL), who’s been there before. It was all around amazing.”
The Sooners like the fact that Gray can be a third-down back and pick up the tough yards on third-and-short, but also has the ability to make tacklers miss and go for big gainers. He’s also highly capable of catching passes out of the backfield, which is an added weapon in Lincoln Riley’s offensive arsenal.
The addition of Gray provides Oklahoma with a solid one-two running back tandem that has been such a highly productive run-game element in past seasons — with the likes of Samaje Perine and Joe Mixon and more recently with Brooks and Trey Sermon.