Originally recruited to play as a linebacker for the Bulldogs, Gray has reverted back to his more natural position of a safety.
See It Through
October 19, 2017 | Football
The following feature story can be found in the Oct. 14 Mississippi State Football Game Program, which can be purchased for $5 in and around Davis Wade Stadium on Saturday.
Since high school, senior defensive back J. T. Gray has always been a multitalented athlete. Originally recruited to play as a linebacker for the Bulldogs, Gray has reverted back to his more natural position of a safety.
In high school, Gray saw action as both a linebacker and a safety, but made the full transition over to the linebacker position during his freshman season on campus. During 2017 spring practices, defensive coordinator Todd Grantham saw safety as a better fit for Gray and since then he has had to make adjustments.
"The hardest part for me was getting my techniques right and learning the college level fundamentals of being a safety," Gray said. "I had to dust off my safety skills from high school. Before the switch I moved more lateral, but now I am moving more vertical."
While expanding his playing skills on the field, Gray also expanded the fields he competed on playing a year of high school football in Coolidge, Ariz.
"It was a different atmosphere there," Gray said. "Weather-wise it was very hot. The competition there, to me, is not like it is here in Mississippi. I got recruited as a defensive back over there so when I moved back to Mississippi, I feel like I was more fit for the part. I came back, though, because I wanted to play with my friends my last year of high school."
Since becoming a Bulldog, Gray has been a member of the Southeastern Conference Academic Honor Roll. He is a member of Omega Psi Phi fraternity and for some, being a student and an athlete is already a tough load to carry, but for Gray, adding his Greek organization into the mix, it is all about staying one step ahead on everything.
"It is really difficult," Gray said. "Football is like being in a double major. You have to put in as much time that you do in the classroom on the field. I have to be on a set schedule. I have to know what I am going to do before I do it. I do my school work before anything and everything else falls behind that. Prioritizing is a key factor."
Although he has an abundant amount of job options majoring in Industrial Technology, Gray wants to eventually become a college football coach.
A lot of expectations are placed on defensive players during the game and sometimes, things do not always go as planned by the coaches, fans or players. When things are tough, Gray says he goes to a poem written by Edgar Albert Guest called 'See it Through' to help give him reassurance that things will get better.
Gray says parents play a huge role in both his football and educational career giving him motivational words whenever they talk.
"My parents call me every week to encourage me to keep giving it my all and to push through," Gray said. "My dad calls me to discuss my previous game and give me feedback on what he thinks I could do differently."
Being a senior on the team, Gray is expected to step up and be a leader to the younger players by being vocal, providing feedback and by setting the example for them to follow.
"The things I do on the field is how I lead," Gray said. "I do not talk much, so I like to lead by example, but if I see something I think a player could improve on, I pull them to the side and tell them one on one."
With his senior season slowly approaching its end, Gray says hard work, dedication and trusting the process are things he has put into this program as well as things he has gotten out of this ball club. He wants the younger players to do the same and remember him for all the effort he put in on and off the field.
"I want them to remember to go hard in all they do, give relentless effort every single time, and believe in the program," Gray said.
See It Through
By: Edgar Albert Guest
When you're up against a trouble,
Meet it squarely, face to face;
Lift your chin and set your shoulders,
Plant your feet and take a brace.
When it's vain to try to dodge it,
Do the best that you can do;
You may fail, but you may conquer,
See it through!
Black may be the clouds about you
And your future may seem grim,
But don't let your nerve desert you;
Keep yourself in fighting trim.
If the worst is bound to happen,
Spite of all that you can do,
Running from it will not save you,
See it through!
Even hope may seem but futile,
When with troubles you're beset,
But remember you are facing
Just what other men have met.
You may fail, but fall still fighting;
Don't give up, whate'er you do;
Eyes front, head high to the finish.
See it through!
Since high school, senior defensive back J. T. Gray has always been a multitalented athlete. Originally recruited to play as a linebacker for the Bulldogs, Gray has reverted back to his more natural position of a safety.
In high school, Gray saw action as both a linebacker and a safety, but made the full transition over to the linebacker position during his freshman season on campus. During 2017 spring practices, defensive coordinator Todd Grantham saw safety as a better fit for Gray and since then he has had to make adjustments.
"The hardest part for me was getting my techniques right and learning the college level fundamentals of being a safety," Gray said. "I had to dust off my safety skills from high school. Before the switch I moved more lateral, but now I am moving more vertical."
While expanding his playing skills on the field, Gray also expanded the fields he competed on playing a year of high school football in Coolidge, Ariz.
"It was a different atmosphere there," Gray said. "Weather-wise it was very hot. The competition there, to me, is not like it is here in Mississippi. I got recruited as a defensive back over there so when I moved back to Mississippi, I feel like I was more fit for the part. I came back, though, because I wanted to play with my friends my last year of high school."
Since becoming a Bulldog, Gray has been a member of the Southeastern Conference Academic Honor Roll. He is a member of Omega Psi Phi fraternity and for some, being a student and an athlete is already a tough load to carry, but for Gray, adding his Greek organization into the mix, it is all about staying one step ahead on everything.
"It is really difficult," Gray said. "Football is like being in a double major. You have to put in as much time that you do in the classroom on the field. I have to be on a set schedule. I have to know what I am going to do before I do it. I do my school work before anything and everything else falls behind that. Prioritizing is a key factor."
Although he has an abundant amount of job options majoring in Industrial Technology, Gray wants to eventually become a college football coach.
A lot of expectations are placed on defensive players during the game and sometimes, things do not always go as planned by the coaches, fans or players. When things are tough, Gray says he goes to a poem written by Edgar Albert Guest called 'See it Through' to help give him reassurance that things will get better.
Gray says parents play a huge role in both his football and educational career giving him motivational words whenever they talk.
"My parents call me every week to encourage me to keep giving it my all and to push through," Gray said. "My dad calls me to discuss my previous game and give me feedback on what he thinks I could do differently."
Being a senior on the team, Gray is expected to step up and be a leader to the younger players by being vocal, providing feedback and by setting the example for them to follow.
"The things I do on the field is how I lead," Gray said. "I do not talk much, so I like to lead by example, but if I see something I think a player could improve on, I pull them to the side and tell them one on one."
With his senior season slowly approaching its end, Gray says hard work, dedication and trusting the process are things he has put into this program as well as things he has gotten out of this ball club. He wants the younger players to do the same and remember him for all the effort he put in on and off the field.
"I want them to remember to go hard in all they do, give relentless effort every single time, and believe in the program," Gray said.
See It Through
By: Edgar Albert Guest
When you're up against a trouble,
Meet it squarely, face to face;
Lift your chin and set your shoulders,
Plant your feet and take a brace.
When it's vain to try to dodge it,
Do the best that you can do;
You may fail, but you may conquer,
See it through!
Black may be the clouds about you
And your future may seem grim,
But don't let your nerve desert you;
Keep yourself in fighting trim.
If the worst is bound to happen,
Spite of all that you can do,
Running from it will not save you,
See it through!
Even hope may seem but futile,
When with troubles you're beset,
But remember you are facing
Just what other men have met.
You may fail, but fall still fighting;
Don't give up, whate'er you do;
Eyes front, head high to the finish.
See it through!
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