Gray fired up to coach talented UF secondary
GAINESVILLE — Torrian Gray knows Virginia Tech football inside and out.
He played defensive back there for four years, capping his Ho ki es playing career with three All-Big East honors before the Minnesota Vikings selected him in the second round of the 1997 NFL Draft.
He returned to his alma mater in 2006 to coach the secondary for 10 years, during which time Virginia Tech finished with top-15 pass defenses six times and coached five All-Americans and 10 NFL Draft picks.
But when the opportunity surfaced for him to coach at the University of Florida — a school with a knack for bringing in defensive talent that ’s a mere two -and-a-halfhour trip from his hometown of Lakeland — Gray knew it was an offer he couldn’t afford to pass up.
“When they showed an interest and I had an opportunity to have a chance to come here, I was ecstatic about that,” said Gray, who replaced Kirk Callahan as Florida’s defensive backs coach on Feb. 4. “It’s the University of Florida. ... To come home to here was just exciting to me to have that opportunity.”
And while UF defensive coordinator Geoff Collins’ scheme is different from anything Gray taught during his tenure at Virginia Tech, the 41-year-old coach sees the Gators’ potential in the secondary.
Florida returns three starters from last year’s defensive backfield and has a handful of players looking to step up and into a starting role with the de- parture of All-American Vernon Hargreaves III, nickel corner Brian Poole and hard-hitting safety Keanu Neal.
“I’m very impressed with the top-end talent we have,” Gray said. “We have to develop some depth there, but it’s pretty impressive the guys we do have coming back.”
Jalen Tabor leads the pack.
A first-team All-SEC recipient last season, Tabor sat atop the conference with 18 total defended passed (14 pass breakups, four interceptions) while also recording 40 tackles and a sack.
Of his four interceptions — which tied for the team lead with Hargreaves and ranked tied for fourth in the SEC — Tabor returned two for touchdowns.
“Jalen is an instinctive, football playing guy,” Gray said. “[He] has great ball skills. I’ve been very impressed with what I’ve seen of him on film.”
Joining Tabor are junior Quincy Wilson and senior Marcus Maye, a duo that showed poise and improvement last season. Wilson alternated starts with Tabor at out- side corner while Maye took hold of the safety position and racked up a career-high 82 tackles while tying for second nationally with five forced fumbles.
And while the talent on Florida’s roster is noted, Gray said he is looking forward to and enjoying having the ability to recruit for an SEC school.
“That brings a certain reputation with it alone,” Gray said. “So having the Gator logo alone helps from that standpoint, a recruiting standpoint.”
With spring practice set to begin on March 9, Gray’s first crack at working hands-on with his new players is fast approaching.
There are still a lot of unknowns, but he said he’s looking forward to see what he can make out of it.
“I always said, ‘Would I just leave Virginia Tech unless I had an opportunity to advance and just to be the defensive backs coach somewhere else?’” Gray said.
“It took a great opportunity like the University of Florida to come back home for me to really entertain that.”