Julian Gray sharpening skills during second training camp
Heading into his second Fall camp, redshirt-freshman Julian Gray is ready to seize the opportunity in front of him at NC State. He spent the offseason building chemistry with quarterback Devin Leary, working on his knowledge of the concepts in offensive coordinator Tim Beck’s offense and harnessing his elite speed into a sharpened skill set.
That hard work is yielding instant results on the practice field, and the Wolfpack’s coaching staff and a couple of stars are taking notice.
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Leary and linebacker Isaiah Moore have both shouted-out Gray as an impressive young player during the offseason. Moore said the receiver impressed him with some great plays during training camp. Leary praised Gray’s talents along with touting the pass-catching abilities of Porter Rooks, Darryl Jones, Anthony Smith and Keyon Lesane.
“Julian Gray is an outstanding talent,” Leary said at ACC kickoff earlier this summer. “He’s a special player, a very special player and, to see the way that he can perform at such a young age is, I mean, it’s going to be exciting to see him grow and play.”
Head coach Dave Doeren said Gray impressed him during the first scrimmage last weekend as well.
Gray caught three passes last year in his four games, playing the maximum amount possible while maintaining his redshirt. Headed into 2022, the receiver said he has a better grasp of NC State’s system in-part thanks to wide receivers coach Joker Phillips.
“He’s helped a lot just from him being so experienced in the game,” Gray said. “He has helped the game slow down for me a lot because, especially being a young guy, it seems like the game moves really fast, so coach Joker has just helped slow the game down for me and really help me understand concepts.”
Wolfpack wideouts Devin Carter and Thayer Thomas have also been helpful as he continues to progress.
“A lot of times, I’ll come in here with Thayer or [Carter], catching jugs or learning and going over plays, concepts and then helping me finally understand concepts and really getting to learn stuff.”
“I appreciate them a lot.”
Julian Gray was a four-star recruit at Hopewell before arriving at NC State last year. The receiver said his greatest strengths on the field are his speed, agility and versatility. He will likely be a productive receiving option this year either in the slot or outside, and Gray said he also has the abilities to contribute as a returner and in special teams coverage. Gray could even play a role in the backfield if the coaches needed him to, he said.
The receiver said a key part of his development was taking his speed and learning how to use it to his advantage, sometimes not running routes at full speed and adjusting his tempo to the pace of the game.
In addition to his extra reps with his fellow receivers and Leary, who he worked out with frequently this summer as the two continued to build chemistry, Gray is learning a lot from NC State’s defense. The Wolfpacks’s defensive backs have been especially helpful in his development. After practice, he’ll talk to the cornerbacks and listen to their feedback.
“After practice, we’ll go in the locker room, and he’ll be like ‘Hey, this was a good release, this was a good route you ran,’” Gray said. “Or if he had a good play, I’ll be like ‘Hey, what do you think I could have done better verse this, and he’ll let me know.”
NC State is a few weeks into camp and, with the season-opener just around the corner, Gray and the rest of the Pack are ready for the opportunity.
“We’re all excited to play and finally get to play against an opponent,” Gray said.
