“It was great being there and the facilities were beautiful,” Ray told Volquest. “They are one of the best I’ve seen. As soon as you walk in, you see the practice field and that’s amazing. My parents seemed to love it also. So, it was really good being there.”
The connection with the 6-foot-3, 180-pound wideout and Tennessee seems to grow stronger each day. Kelsey Pope has taken the lead on his recruitment as the first-year on-the-field coach continues to look to add to his receiver haul that consists of Cam Seldon, Nathan Leacock and Nate Spillman.
“It’s going pretty well. I’m building a pretty good relationship with coach Pope and I have a lot in common with him,” the wideout said. “He’s a lot like my high school wide receiver training coach. That definitely sparks a lot between us.
“Their plans are similar. They want everything hard and fast. The way he teaches how to run routes is very similar. Not many people have that – what they have. It is hard to find that, so seeing that in coach Pope is really great.”
Tennessee’s offense appears to be a selling point as well. “I most definitely think I would be a good fit for this offense,” the Sunshine State native said. “I love it and love how they do pace and use their receivers. My high school does an offense similar, so I wouldn’t be walking into something too new.”
Ray registered just over 1,300 receiving yards as a junior in 2021 with 19 touchdowns on 87 receptions. He has 18 offers to date, but is in no hurry to make a decision.
“Coach Pope likes that I’m a dog who brings energy,” the 2023 recruit said. “He likes the way that I can make plays and make pretty much any catch. I’m very consistent with my catches, also, and he likes that about me too.”
Getting to know Josh Heupel on a more personal level will be of importance. “I met him on the visit. He introduced himself to me and said he’s heard a lot about me,” Ray concluded. “After I left, we started texting more and he’s been checking up on me, seeing how practices have been going. We are building a relationship. We aren’t too close yet, but we are getting there.”
Ray, who owns a Rivals Rating of 5.7, plans to commit sometime between October and November.
