:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/68707854/usa_today_15273121.0.jpg)
The Texas Longhorns are hosting a top running back transfer on Friday, as former Tennessee Volunteers running back Eric Gray is on the Forty Acres, according to a report from Mike Roach of Horns247.
The Football Brainiacs confirmed the report.
Gray entered the NCAA transfer portal on Wednesday, two days after Tennessee head coach Jeremy Pruitt was fired for cause as the NCAA investigates alleged violations.
A 5’10, 205-pound Tennessee native who was ranked as a top-200 prospect and the nation’s No. 3 all-purpose back in the 2019 recruiting class, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings, Gray emerged as a true freshman with breakout performances late in the season. Against Vanderbilt and Indiana, Gray had 366 total yards and four touchdowns.
As a sophomore, Gray made five starts in nine games and emerged as the team’s top running back, finishing sixth in the SEC in rushing yards per game (85.8), eighth in total rushing yards (772), and sixth in yards from scrimmage per game (114.0). Gray also scored six total touchdowns (four rushing, two receiving) and finished second on the team with 30 receptions for 254 receiving yards.
In 2020, Gray was arguably the top offensive playmaker for the Volunteers.
With Keaontay Ingram in the NCAA transfer portal following his junior season and Daniel Young seemingly unlikely to return after opting out of the 2020 season, Texas is set to have only three scholarship running backs on the roster in 2021 unless the staff can add Cy-Fair’s LJ Johnson or Gray or both.
The NCAA is expected to approve a blanket one-time transfer waiver that would afford Gray immediate eligibility at the school of his choice. If the NCAA does not go through with the blanket waiver, Gray and other Tennessee players would likely receive individual waivers as a result of the scandal engulfing the Volunteers program.