2020 4-star CB Henry Gray commits to Miami: “It was a real family aspect”
2020 Miami Central 4-star CB Henry Gray was on campus Thursday for spring practice and came back again today for UM’s huge Underclassman Day featuring over 50 top prospects. Gray had always grown up a Miami fan and today he officially joined the family: he committed to the staff before he left campus, becoming Miami’s 8th commit in the 2020 class.
“I was excited. I talked to all the coaches at once,” Gray said on his big moment. “They told me I was gonna be the centerpiece of the class. It was crazy, coach Diaz was yelling the whole time. Coach Rumph, he was recruiting me back when I was at Miramar, he was excited. I just met coach Banda today, he’s real cool.”
Gray, who took the trip with his mom, said he didn’t plan on committing beforehand, but when he got on campus, he just really felt the love on the trip and knew at that moment Miami was the place for him.
“I wanted to see how they’d treat me, but when I got there, it was a real family aspect. It was crazy,” Gray said.
Getting mom on board is always a big part of recruiting and it seems the Canes have won Gray’s mother over. Gray believes it also helps that he’ll be staying home.
“She likes Miami,” Gray said of his mom. “She felt like I was a good fit there and she liked that they treated us like family.
It wasn’t just Gray that was feeling the vibe on Underclassman Day. Miami landed pledges from three other elite prospects on the day, including 2020 Naples 4-star TE Dominic Mammarelli and 2021 Carol City S James Williams, as well as Gray’s Miami Central teammate, 2021 OL Laurence Seymore. Gray wasn’t aware of Seymore’s plans, but said there really was something special in the air that day in Coral Gables.
“No, I didn’t know at the time,” Gray said about Seymore’s commitment. “We we’re talking (on the visit) and he was saying he was really liking it. I’m telling you, the vibe there was crazy, it was a real family aspect. I felt like I was home.”
So, about that visit: what actually took place that got everyone so hyped up?
“We watched practice, talked to the coaches one-on-one,” Gray said. “I finally got to meet all the coaches.”
With his commitment in the books, Gray can finally relax a bit and start getting to know his Category20 classmates. So far, he only knows one, but he’ll be matching up across from him in practice a lot in a few years.
“I know Marc Britt from Champagnat-Catholic,” Gray said. “I never played against him in a game, but in camps I’ve gotten to match up with him. I believe he’s the best receiver in 2020.”
Even though he’s been around the staff and team numerous times in the past few weeks, Gray hasn’t gotten enough of Miami yet: he’ll be back for the spring game on April 14th at Hard Rock Stadium.
“I’ll be back in two weeks at Hard Rock for the spring game. I can’t wait.”