Pony Up! SMU nabs one from TCU in speedy JUCO WR Danny Gray
SMU managed to sign a dynamic playmaker in Blinn College receiver Danny Gray, a former TCU commit.
They worked diligently to get a potential game-changing recruiting flip, and on Wednesday, the extra time paid off for the members of the SMU coaching staff.
After weeks of courting Blinn College wide receiver Danny Gray, a TCU commit since June 16, the Mustangs scored arguably its biggest recruiting win of the 2020 class in getting Gray to the Hilltop rather than the opposite end of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. A national top-15 JUCO player, Gray decommitted from TCU, committed to SMU and signed with the Mustangs all in the same day.
It's a major win for Sonny Dykes and all of the SMU coaches who contributed in recruiting Gray, a 6-1, 180-pound speedster who also is a Dallas ISD alumni. Prior to attending Blinn, Gray starred in football and track at Madison High School.
Gray took an official visit to SMU last weekend and spoke very highly of the experience in an interview with The HillTopics. He discussed how he hung out with both quarterback Shane Buechele and wide receiver James Proche; then he delivered a slightly cryptic message.
"I can't wait to link up with them again," Gray told The HillTopics.
Turns out, Gray, recruited by assistant coach Ra'Shaad Samples and wide receivers coach David Gru, now could be one of Buechele's favorite targets next year -- perhaps the player who replaces the record-setting Proche in the lineup for 2020. Gray's resume is intriguing; he was a first-team all-Southwest Junior College Football Conference selection this season after catching 54 passes for 877 yards and eight touchdowns in nine games for Blinn.
Gray led the conference with an average of 97.4 receiving yards per contest. He teamed up with Iowa State-bound receiver Xavier Hutchinson, and the two combined for 101 catches, 1,529 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns.
Gray's signing means he returns to the Dallas area, where he is minutes away from his old stomping grounds. While at Madison, he was a two-time all-state receiver and earned district MVP accolades as a sophomore. Gray also was a state champion in the 100-meter dash, as well as the anchor for Madison's state-champion 4x100 relay team.
Gray is the first offensive skill-position player to sign in SMU's 2020 class. He is ranked the No. 3 JUCO wide receiver in the country and the No. 13 JUCO player overall, according to Rivals.com.