Despite only being a rising sophomore, class of 2026 offensive tackle Darius Gray is already fielding offers from some of the top Division I programs in the country.
The St. Christopher’s (Va.) School product has received offers from schools like Alabama, Georgia, Michigan and most recently, Miami.
“I was finishing up my Spanish work and making sure my essay I had to turn in for Spanish was all good to go, and my head coach texted me and said, ‘Miami is here, and they want to offer,’ so it was nice to see,” Gray told LifeWallet Sports about his UM offer.
Hurricanes linebackers coach Derek Nicholson gave the 6-foot-4, 290-pound offensive lineman the offer.
“[Nicholson] came in, his car was real nice. I just got my learner’s [permit] so I’ve been into cars a little bit more than usual,” Gray said about his encounter with the UM coach. “He was a great dude … I definitely see [that] he’s a good guy.”
Gray, who was first offered by Virginia Tech (VT) in May 2022, has taken unofficial visits to VT, South Carolina, Ohio State, Michigan, Georgia and Tennessee. He is still in the process of figuring out which schools to visit in the summer.
Through all of this recruiting attention, Gray has remained humble. He understands the improvements he has to make in his game to play in college.
“It definitely feels great. I definitely see the work paying off … I’m blessed for all the colleges that took a chance and believed that I could play at the next level,” Gray said. “I’m definitely just so focused on myself and focusing on my self-validation and making sure that I’m at the best part I could be at and making sure that I’m comfortable thinking that I’m good enough to go to college and I don’t think I’m there yet. So, I got a lot of work to do and I’m just excited for it.”
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