LJ McCray

Daytona Beach (Florida) Mainland coach Travis Roland isn't shy when asked who Lawal "LJ" McCray reminds him of. “I think he has that freakish Jevon Kearse length, size and speed,” Roland said. “He's a super flexible athlete. His bend is amazing. He puts in a lot of effort. You don’t see many guys at 6-7 that can get in a low-aggressive stance like him. You should see him in DB drills – the fluidity is amazing.” It's a good thing when your high school coach compares you to an NFL Hall of Famer. But it's easy to see why he earned such high praise. McCray never came off the field during his time at Mainland, playing defensive line, receiver, tight end and even H-back. He racked up 47 tackles, 17.5 tackles for a loss and three sacks while recording 14 catches for two scores in 2022. "He just takes over the game," Roland said. McCray's father, Lawal, is a former successful high school coach who has spent more than a decade coaching in the college ranks at Bethune-Cookman. In fact, it was his father that helped turn him on to football in the first place. “I always told him, I’m not going to ask you to work out,” Lawal told 247Sports. "You can come ask me all you want, and we’ll go work out. There were many days I was watching my westerns on TV after long hours at work and he’d say, ‘Daddy let’s go to the field. Let’s go lift weights.' He’s been very determined since the sixth or seventh grade. He wants to be the best at what he does.”