McCray, ASUN top receiver, signs with Texas Tech

Staff Reports
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Austin Peay wide receiver Drae McCray (10) celebrates a touchdown catch during an Oct. 29 home game against Jacksonville State. McCray, the leading receiver in the Atlantic Sun Conference this year as a sophomore, is transferring to Texas Tech. He caught 17 touchdown passes in his two years with Austin Peay.
Austin Peay wide receiver Drae McCray (10) celebrates a touchdown catch during an Oct. 29 home game against Jacksonville State. McCray, the leading receiver in the Atlantic Sun Conference this year as a sophomore, is transferring to Texas Tech. He caught 17 touchdown passes in his two years with Austin Peay.

The Texas Tech football team added speed to its receiving corps when it announced the signing Thursday night of Austin Peay wide receiver Drae McCray.

McCray, listed at 5-foot-9 and 177 pounds, caught 53 passes for 867 yards and eight touchdowns in 2021, his true freshman year. He caught 76 passes for 1,021 yards and nine TDs this season, leading the Atlantic Sun Conference in catches and receiving yards and ranking second in receiving touchdowns.

McCray will have two seasons of eligibility remaining with the Red Raiders. Tech offensive analyst Kirk Bryant and tight ends coach Josh Cochran both were on the Austin Peay staff in 2021.

"We are fortunate to be signing easily one of the fastest players in college football," Tech coach Joey McGuire said. "We believe Drae will flourish in this offense under coach (Emmett) Jones and coach (Zach) Kittley’s development. He will make us more dynamic with his speed and provide valuable matchup problems that will allow our offense to continue to be one of the most explosive in the country."

McCray is two-time all-conference honoree after being voted to the first team in 2021 when Austin Peay was still a member of the Ohio Valley Conference. He was also an all-newcomer team honoree in 2021.

Austin Peay finished 7-4 this season with a 34-0 loss at Alabama in the Governors' Nov. 19 season finale. McCray caught 12 passes for 92 yards against the Crimson Tide.

Alabama defensive back Brian Branch (14) tackles Austin Peay wide receiver Drae McCray (10) during the Crimson Tide's 34-0 victory on Nov. 19 at Bryant-Denny Stadium. McCray caught 12 passes for 92 yards in the game.
Alabama defensive back Brian Branch (14) tackles Austin Peay wide receiver Drae McCray (10) during the Crimson Tide's 34-0 victory on Nov. 19 at Bryant-Denny Stadium. McCray caught 12 passes for 92 yards in the game.

According to Pro Football Focus, McCray caused 25 missed tackles this season, most among FCS receivers. He also caught at least one pass of 20 or more yards in all but one game.

After he had his name entered into the NCAA transfer portal in late November, McCray was heavily courted. He was offered scholarships by power-five conference programs Maryland, Indiana, Virginia Tech, Oregon, Northwestern, Colorado, Oklahoma State and Mississippi State and at least nine programs in group-of-five conferences.

McCray played high-school ball at Tallahassee (Fla.) North Florida Christian, where he had 4,385 all-purpose yards in his career.

McCray ran the 100 meters in 10.33 seconds in a high-school district meet in April 2021, though the wind assistance of 3.6 meters per second in that race is well outside the legal range of 2.0 meters per second.

In records shown on the Track and Field Results Reporting System in other meets from the spring of 2021, he also ran a 10.53 with 2.1 meters per second assistance and a 10.67 with a wind of 2.2 mps. He ran a 10.83 into negative wind of 0.8 meters per second.

He ran a wind-legal 21.50 200 meters in a high-school regional meet in May 2021.

McNamara to return

Texas Tech punter Austin McNamara, who has four of the top eight single-season punting averages in the program's history, announced Friday he plans to return for the Red Raiders in 2023.

Tech has 23 seniors this year with the option of playing again in 2023 on the extra year of eligibility the NCAA offers all players whose 2020 seasons were disrupted by the Covid pandemic. McNamara is the 15th of those 23 to exercise the option to return.

McNamara is in position to end up with the school career and single-season punting average records. He's averaging 45.8 yards over his first four seasons, ahead of the pace of current record holder Austin Symmank, who averaged 43.7 yards from 2012-15. McNamara set the Tech single-season record of 48.2 yards in 2021.

His average this year was a career-low 44.3 yards, still fourth best in the Big 12.

Texas Tech senior decisions

The following Texas Tech players who are seniors in 2022 have the option of playing another season in 2023. Here are decisions they've made in that regard, as announced by the players themselves or Texas Tech athletics personnel.

Staying (15): QB Tyler Shough, WR Xavier White, TE Henry Teeter, C Dennis Wilburn, C Cade Briggs, DE-DT Myles Cole, DT Tony Bradford, DT Jaylon Hutchings, LB Tyrique Matthews, CB Malik Dunlap, CB Rayshad Williams, CB Cameron Watts, S Dadrion Taylor-Demerson, S Tyler Owens, P Austin McNamara

Leaving (8): RB SaRodorick Thompson (training for NFL), OG Weston Wright (training for NFL), OT Ethan Carde (transfer portal), DE Tyree Wilson (training for NFL), LB Patrick Curley (non-football job opportunity), S Reggie Pearson (transfer portal), S Cam White, PK Trey Wolff (training for NFL)

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Atlantic Sun Conference leading receiver Drae McCray signs with Texas Tech