3/7/2020 football Edit

Speedy receiver Julian Gray commits to NC State

Matt Carter • TheWolfpackCentral

Editor

When speedy three-star receiver Julian Gray from Hopewell High in Huntersville, N.C. picked up an offer from NC State football in January, he did not hide his enthusiasm.

“I love NC State. I love that school,” said Gray at the time. “I came [to Raleigh] for summer camp since I was in 8th grade.”

Less than two months later, Gray is the first player in the class of 2021 to commit to NC State. He did so Saturday afternoon.

Gray also had offers from Duke, Georgia Tech, Rutgers, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest. He is rated by Rivals.com as the No. 28 prospect in a very talent-rich in-state class.

Gray is coming off of an impressive junior season for Hopewell High in Huntersville, which is located just north of Charlotte. Averaging over 100 yards receiving per game, the 6-foot-, 185-pounder brought in 57 receptions for 1,217 yards and nine touchdowns in 11 games.

Gray was awarded a spot on the I-Meck All-Conference team and was named the Offensive Most Valuable Player for Hopewell High. Gray was also a Hopewell Football Scholar for outstanding academic achievement.

He also runs track, having registered personal bests of 10.84 seconds in the 100 meters and 21.92 seconds in the 200 a year ago. At the Nike Opening last year, Gray was laser-timed at 4.49 seconds in the 40-yard dash and had a 36.8-inch vertical leap.