Josh McCray
{{Short description|American football player (born 2002)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2025}}
{{Infobox college football player
|name=Josh McCray
|image=
|image_size=
|alt=
|caption=
|school=Georgia Bulldogs
|currentnumber=
|currentposition=Running back
|class={{redshirt}} Senior
|major=
|pastschools=
|bowlgames=
|highschool=Enterprise (Enterprise, Alabama)
|birth_date= {{birth date and age|2002|2|24}}
|birth_place=
|height_ft=6
|height_in=1
|weight_lb=235
|highlights=
- Citrus Bowl MVP (2024)
|espn=4682640
}}
Josh McCray (born February 24, 2002) is an American college football running back for the Georgia Bulldogs. He previously played for the Illinois Fighting Illini.
High school career
McCray attended Enterprise High School in Enterprise, Alabama. As a senior, he rushed for 774 yards and 11 touchdowns on 111 carries.{{Cite web |last=McNelley |first=Justin |date=2021-01-06 |title=Enterprise RB Josh McCray commits to Illinois |url=https://www.wtvy.com/2021/01/06/enterprise-rb-josh-mccray-commits-to-iliinois/ |access-date=2025-04-22 |website=WTVY |language=en}} A three-star recruit, he committed to play college football at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.{{Cite web |last=Mundee |first=David |date=2021-01-05 |title=Enterprise standout running back Josh McCray commits to Illinois |url=https://dothaneagle.com/sports/article_5ad4f7de-4f90-11eb-a4b7-bf3435bf7cf0.html |access-date=2025-04-22 |website=Dothan Eagle |language=en}}
College career
As a true freshman, McCray recorded 112 carries for 549 yards, making an instant impact.{{Cite news |date=2021-12-21 |title=Former Enterprise standout finds success as true freshman at Illinois |url=https://www.wdhn.com/sports/local-sports/former-enterprise-standout-finds-success-as-true-freshman-at-illinois/ |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20220811091551/https://www.wdhn.com/sports/local-sports/former-enterprise-standout-finds-success-as-true-freshman-at-illinois/ |archive-date=2022-08-11 |access-date=2025-04-22 |work=WDHN - wdhn.com |language=en-US}} He played in just four games the following season, dealing with injuries.{{Cite web |last=Kimball |first=Anderson |date=2023-03-31 |title=Illinois' Josh McCray ready for 'major comeback' after injuries derailed 2022 season |url=https://thesouthern.com/sports/college/illini/josh-mccray-ready-for-major-comeback-after-injuries-derailed-2022-season/article_257f2cf6-7e9d-5957-b8af-1a012e668b17.html?=/&subcategory=459%7CLibraries |access-date=2025-04-22 |website=Southern Illinoisan |language=en}} After dealing with injuries during the 2023 season as well, McCray played in 13 games in 2024, totaling 117 carries for 609 yards and 10 touchdowns.{{Cite web |last=Storey |first=Ty |date=2025-01-01 |title=Enterprise standout earns MVP honors in Citrus Bowl win |url=https://www.wtvy.com/2025/01/01/enterprise-standout-earns-mvp-honors-citrus-bowl-win/ |access-date=2025-04-22 |website=WTVY |language=en}} In the 2024 Citrus Bowl, he rushed for 114 yards and two touchdowns, leading the Fighting Illini to a 21–17 victory over South Carolina, being named the game's MVP.{{Cite web |last=Huett |first=Wes |title=Citrus Bowl MVP: Illinois running back Josh McCray player of the game |url=https://www.pjstar.com/story/sports/college/football/2024/12/31/citrus-bowl-mvp-illinois-running-back-josh-mccray-wins-player-of-the-game/77299100007/ |access-date=2025-04-22 |website=Peoria Journal Star |language=en-US}} Following the 2024 season, he entered the transfer portal.{{Cite web |last=Richey |first=Scott |date=2025-04-15 |title=Report: Josh McCray to enter transfer portal |url=https://www.news-gazette.com/newsletter/content/sports/illini_football/report-josh-mccray-to-enter-transfer-portal/article_32193c9f-e108-4bcc-b0b0-6f39c621a11f.html |access-date=2025-04-22 |website=The News-Gazette |language=en}}
On April 20, 2025, McCray announced his decision to transfer to the University of Georgia to play for the Georgia Bulldogs.{{Cite web |date=2025-04-21 |title=Sources: UGA lands transfer trio, including top LB |url=https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/44773751/georgia-bulldogs-football-lands-transfers-lb-elo-modozie-rb-josh-mccray-dl-josh-horton |access-date=2025-04-22 |website=ESPN.com |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Weiszer |first=Marc |title=Georgia football transfer portal haul includes Illinois running back, Army pass rusher |url=https://www.onlineathens.com/story/sports/college/bulldogs-extra/2025/04/20/georgia-football-elo-modozie-josh-mccray-joshua-horton-transfer-portal/83155136007/ |access-date=2025-04-22 |website=Online Athens |language=en-US}}
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|+ College statistics ! rowspan="2"| Season ! rowspan="2" |Team ! colspan="1" | Games ! colspan="4" | Rushing ! colspan="4" | Receiving | |||||||||
| GP | Att | Yards | Avg | TD | Rec | Yards | Avg | TD | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021
| 11 || 112 || 549 || 4.9 || 2 || 2 || 43 || 21.5 || 0 | |||||||||
| 2022
| 4 || 19 || 56 || 2.9 || 0 || 4 || 19 || 4.8 || 0 | |||||||||
| 2023
| 5|| 43|| 156|| 3.6|| 2|| 6|| 30|| 5.0 || 0 | |||||||||
| 2024
| 13|| 117|| 609 || 5.2|| 10|| 13 || 116|| 8.9 || 1 | |||||||||
| colspan="2" | [https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/players/josh-mccray-1.html Career] | 33 | 291 | 1,370 | 4.7 | 14 | 25 | 208 | 8.3 | 1 |
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://fightingillini.com/sports/football/roster/josh-mccray/14420 Illinois Fighting Illini bio]
{{DEFAULTSORT:McCray, Josh}}
Category:Players of American football from Alabama
Category:Sportspeople from Enterprise, Alabama
Category:American football running backs
Category:Illinois Fighting Illini football players
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