100 Days to Football Time in Oklahoma: #0 Eric Gray By: Ryan Lewis Posted on: September 3, 2022

Player Profile

Position: Running Back

Height: 5’10”

Weight: 210

Class: Senior

Seasons at OU: 1

Hometown: Memphis, TN

The Path to Norman

Eric Gray, out of Memphis, Tennessee, was a highly-ranked 4* running back in the 2019 class. He received his first offer years before his signing day, way back in April, 2015. After a host of offers, he committed to Michigan in the summer of 2018. For roughly six months, he stayed committed to the Wolverines, but made a lot of visits, specifically to the home state Volunteers. In December, a couple months before signing day, he switched to Tennessee. Gray had won the state’s Mr. Football honor three times and was an Army All-American back. However, after two seasons with the Volunteers, he was part of a mass exodus and landed with the Sooners.

Career so Far

Gray played right away his freshman season, appearing in all 13 games. He was first on the team in rushing touchdowns, second in rushing yards, third in carries, and first in YPC. Gray also factored into the receiving game, finishing fifth in receptions and receiving yards and tied for third in receiving touchdowns. Needless to say, he was a big part of the offense, earning PFF All-Freshman Team honorable mention and the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl MVP for his efforts.

During his sophomore campaign, Gray was an even bigger factor in the offense; he accounted for 30% of all rushing and receiving yards. Eric led the team in all rushing categories and was their second-leading receiver, playing in all games but one.

In his first season with the Sooners, Gray played in every game of the year and started in the first five. He was third on the team in carries, rushing yards, and rushing touchdowns. However, he never quite got in sync and left Sooner fans wishing he had seen more touches; 17% of his yards and 13% of his touches came in the Bowl game.

Stats

Years: 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | Career

Games Played: 13 | 9 | 13 | 35

Carries: 78 | 157 | 101 | 336

Rush Yards: 412 | 772 | 539 | 1723

Rush TD: 2 | 4 | 4 | 10

Receptions: 23 | 30 | 13 | 66

Receiving Yards: 229 | 254 | 115 | 598

Receiving TD: 2 | 2 | 1 | 5

Stats via Soonersports.com

Highlights

This Season

Eric Gray is now the leader of the running back room and was named the starter this week. Marcus Major is the only other back likely to earn snaps this season who has played for OU before. As an option in both the run game and receiving game, Gray is primed for a big season under the new staff. Look for Gray to carry a lot of the load in the running back room and turn some heads in 2022.