Interview: 2018 California OT Joshua Gray Gives Insight to Oregon State Commitment

Written by Ryan Wright

Twitter: @RyanWrightRNG

The logical thing for any college football staff putting together a recruiting class, start scouting the winners playing at the highest level. That thought process instantly incapsulates the career of Class of 2018 offensive lineman Joshua Gray. After working and developing his trade with Rancho Cucamonga, consistently one of the top California Division-I teams in the state, the 6-5, 250 pound, talent earned 17 scholarship offers blowing open holes for top running backs Jaylon Redd, Justyn Alexander, and Sean Dollars while keeping quarterback Nick Acosta’s jersey clean on passing plays.

After picking up offers from Oregon State, Arizona, Nebraska, Navy, Army, Hawaii, Rice, UTEP, New Mexico, UNLV, San Diego State, Arizona State, and Washington State, on Feb. 1, Gray verbally committed to the Beavers posting his announcement the following day on Twitter. In a Recruiting News Guru exclusive interview, I ran a few questions by Gray about his recruiting process and how he knew Corvallis was the best place for him in college.

Interview

Joshua, congratulations on your commitment to Oregon State.

“Thank you.”

The final two months of your recruiting process had to be a whirlwind of activity. What was it like for you?

“This past month has been pretty hectic and very stressful. I, of course, enjoyed my time taking my visits but it was definitely difficult once it was time to make my decision.”

How many offers did you have ahead of your commitment?

“I had about 17 offers I believe before I decided to commit to Oregon State. I never posted the offers I got from Air Force or UMass.”

How did you narrow down your top schools? What criteria was most important to you when comparing all the offers?

“I maintained a list throughout the whole process of where I wanted to go and where I didn’t. I always kept a Top 5 in my head and sometimes another school would come along and bump someone out. So, I think that definitely helped in the end in making my decision.”

What all did you do during your official visit to Oregon State on Jan. 12?

“We did the usual official visit activities. Toured the campus and facilities, talked to the education department staff, watched film and went over plays, had meetings with the coaches, and ate food – lots and lots of food.”

Was there a moment during your visit where you knew this was the place for you?

“I think after the first day my family and I knew. We all loved it instantly. We just had a good feeling about the place. Everybody we met was very friendly and the town of Corvallis was the college town that I’d expected it to be.”

When did you commit to the staff?

“I called Coach (Jonathan) Smith (head coach) and Coach (Jim) Michalczik (offensive line) Thursday night and committed.”

What was their reaction when you committed?

“They were both equally excited and it really made it feel like I was making the right decision.”

What was going through your mind as you were committing to Oregon State? Nervous, excited…

“I was definitely excited and maybe even a little anxious. It’s the biggest decision I’ve had to make in my life so far and I am confident that I made the right decision.”

Which position do they see you playing once on campus?

“I’m definitely going to be playing tackle. I wouldn’t want to waste my athleticism as a guard. Once I put on the right amount of weight, I think I’ll be ready to battle in one of the toughest conferences in football.”

What are you going to do to celebrate your commitment?

“I don’t think I’m doing anything to celebrate. I think everyone in my family knew this was coming for a while so no one was shocked or surprised. We might celebrate after signing day.”

Joshua, thanks for your time today, and, again, congratulations on your commitment to Oregon State.

“Thank you.”

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Photo credits: Gray family; Joshua Gray with Coach Smith