Gray Set for Trip to Norman

Joel Gray is starting to rack up an impressive offer list, as a number of high profile schools have thrown their hat in the mix. Stanford is the latest name on the list, but he will be traveling to Norman to see the Sooners this weekend. Could they be next?

Joel Gray, a 6-foot-6, 285-pound offensive lineman from Hebron High in Texas was happy to report that he had just been offered another scholarship from the Sanford Cardinal.

“I received an offer,” Gray informed. “I was really honored, because Stanford is a big deal.”

“Throwing out a new like Stanford for you to get your degree from is a great honor, but also I am going to have to take a lot more AP classes and stuff like that to even get accepted there, so that is something I am really going to have to sit down with my family to discuss. I was definitely honored to receive that offer.”

While he has been gathering plenty of attention on the recruiting trail, the big man has not really started to narrow his list down any, and is looking in to all of his current options.

“I could probably say that Texas Tech, OU, Virginia, Ole Miss, Arizona, Louisville and Oklahoma State are my top one right now,” Gray began. “I would not really say that I have a set group of top schools, but those are probably the ones I talk to the most right now. I receive the most letters. I can’t narrow it down, but those are the ones I do have (interest in) right now.”

Gray has been a semi-frequent visitor to the Oklahoma campus, and he is excited to get back out there for the spring scrimmage tomorrow afternoon.

“Big time,” Gray said when asked if he is pumped about getting back out to Norman. “I am real excited to get back out there and see OU again, because I really like it out there. I really like Coach Patton and I really like what OU has done and the success they have had over the past few years, so I am really excited to get back out there again.”

OU has not yet extended an offer to Gray, but he would be ecstatic if he were to pull one down this weekend.

“That would definitely be almost a dream for me,” Gray informed bout possibly getting a Sooner offer this weekend. “I really like it out there.”

“I have talked to Coach Patton a couple of times about this and he said that he is bad about offering early He really wants to get to know his players before offering them.”

Because of the way Coach Patton evaluates character and football talent as a total package before offering, Gray feels like an offer would mean that much more.

“It definitely makes it mean more to me,” Gray said.

“I am hoping I get some luck, because he (Coach Patton) told me they have eight or nine guys graduating over the next two years, so that works in my favor a little bit, but I am not really sure.”

Gray makes no bones about it. He will do whatever is in his power to make his future team better, whether he lines up at tackle, guard, or center.

“I will do whatever it takes to get on the field. I would rather be a tackle, but if I get to play a year or two earlier by moving to guard or center, then that is not a problem with me at all.”

Gray earned All-District honors as a sophomore and a junior and was also recognized as second team All-State after a strong 2007 season.