2017 Football Roster
Roster
Donald Gray
- Position:
- WR
- Height:
- 5-10
- Weight:
- 200
- Class:
- Senior
- Hometown:
- Memphis, TN
- High School/Previous School:
- Copiah-Lincoln [MS] CC
CAREER: Explosive receiver who served as a team captain in 2017 โฆ Has some of the strongest hands in the SEC โฆ Arrived at MSU as one of the nationโs most coveted junior college skill players โฆ Played in 34 games with 21 starts in his three seasons โฆ Produced 86 catches for 1,309 yards and 10 touchdowns, which is 12th in school history โฆ Averaged an exceptional 15.2 yards per catch โฆ Five of his 10 scores came on plays of 49 yards or more, including two of 70 or more yards โฆ Tallied two 100-yard receiving games โฆ Enrolled at MSU in January 2015 โฆ Originally committed to MSU in July 2013 and then went the junior college route to Copiah-Lincoln in Wesson, Miss. โฆ One of two players on the squad who played the 2017 season with a degree already in hand.
2017 SENIOR SEASON: MSUโs most explosive receiver who despite injuries still managed to finish second on the team in receptions (24) โฆ Recorded three touchdowns on 214 yards receiving โฆ Averaged 9.0 yards per punt return โฆ Played and started in eight games โฆ Missed the final five games of the year โ UMass, Alabama, Arkansas, Ole Miss and the TaxSlayer Bowl โ due to a sports hernia โฆ Caught three passes for a season-high 57 yards in season-opener vs. Charleston Southern (9/2) โฆ Also had a career-long 52-yard kickoff return in that game โฆ Hauled in his first touchdown catch at the year at Louisiana Tech (9/9) โฆ Solid game against LSU (9/16) with three catches for 19 yards and a career-long 35-yard punt return that helped set up at MSU drive โฆ Made four catches for 41 yards, including a 9-yard TD reception against BYU (10/14) โฆ Season-high six catches for 51 yards vs. Kentucky (10/21).
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2016 JUNIOR SEASON: MSUโs second-leading receiver behind Fred Ross โฆ Started all 13 games โฆ Caught 41 passes for 709 yards and five touchdowns โฆ Ranked fifth in the SEC in yards per catch (17.3) โฆ One of only two players in the SEC with multiple catches over 70 yards and he did it in the same game โฆ Tied for eighth nationally in 70+ yard receptions (2) โฆ Produced one of the best games in school history in win over Samford (10/29) as he tied the school record for touchdown catches with three and finished with four catches for 207 yards โฆ Became the first 200-yard receiver for MSU since Dec. 31, 2014 โฆ Had TD catches of 71 and 74 yards in the first half vs. Samford โฆ Grabbed a career-best eight catches for 79 yards at UMass (9/24) โฆ Put MSU up 14-0 vs. South Carolina (9/10) with a 17-yard TD catch and finished with five catches for 71 yards โฆ Made three catches for 86 yards at LSU (9/17) โฆ Hauled in seven passes for 92 yards against Arkansas (11/19), putting him over 1,000 for his career โฆ Gave MSU the lead for good in the Egg Bowl (11/26) on an 8-yard touchdown grab in the first quarter โฆ Caught at least one pass in seven straight games to end the year.
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2015 SOPHOMORE SEASON: Made an immediate impact at receiver in his first season with the program โฆ Played in all 13 games with no starts โฆ Caught 21 passes for 386 yards and two touchdowns โฆ Averaged a team-best 18.4 yards per reception โฆ Had four receptions for a career-best 140 yards and a touchdown in the Northwestern State win (9/19), recording the most receiving yards by a Bulldog since Jameon Lewis had 220 in the 2013 Liberty Bowl โฆ His score came on a 49-yard pass from Nick Fitzgerald in the fourth quarter โฆ Hauled in two catches for 58 yards against Troy (10/10), including a 49-yard touchdown reception โฆ Recorded his first career blocked punt and first career punt return (21 yards) in the Louisiana Tech (10/17) home win โฆ His blocked punt was recovered at the 2-yard line and set up a Dak Prescott score on the following play that gave MSU the lead for good โฆ Finished the Kentucky victory (10/24) with 56 receiving yards on a season-high five receptions โฆ Pulled down a brilliant season-long 54-yard reception over the shoulder against No. 2 Alabama (11/14).
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JUNIOR COLLEGE: Ranked the No. 6 junior college prospect by ESPN.com โฆ Shifted solely to wide receiver at Copiah-Lincoln โฆ Named a 2014 National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) All-American after having recorded 55 catches for 989 yards (eighth best in the nation) last season โฆ Reeled in 10 touchdowns and averaged 90 yards receiving per game in his only season at Copiah-Lincoln โฆ Also shined as a punt returner in 2014 with three touchdowns and 419 yards gained on 20 returns โฆ Finished as the team leader with 1,403 all-purpose yards โฆ Named NJCAA Region 23 Most Valuable Player, All-Region, First Team All-State as a wide receiver, Second Team All-State as a punt returner, and Mississippi Association of Community & Junior Colleges (MACJC) Most Valuable Back โฆ Twice named state player of the week and twice named national player of the week โฆ Missed the 2013 season due to a preseason ankle injury โฆ Coached by Glenn Davis.
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HIGH SCHOOL: Attended White Station High School in Memphis โฆ Ranked the No. 2 player in Tennessee by 247Sports coming out of high school by ESPN.com โฆ Played the wide receiver and safety positions โฆ Four-star prospect
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Carter was his favorite NFL player โฆ Earned his undergraduate degree in sociology in December 2016.
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GRAYโS CAREER HIGHS
Receptions โ 8, at UMass (9-24-16) ย ย
Receiving Yards โ 207, vs. Samford (10-29-16) ย ย
Longest Reception โ 74, vs. Samford (10-29-16) ย ย
Receiving Touchdowns โ 3, vs. Samford (10-29-16)
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