Latest news with #JoshMcCray
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Bret Bielema calls out Kirby Smart, Georgia for tampering
The post Bret Bielema calls out Kirby Smart, Georgia for tampering appeared first on ClutchPoints. When a college football player receives communication from another team about playing for said team before the player has entered the transfer portal, it is called tampering. Tampering is a big problem in college sports, and it is against the rules. However, it's abundantly clear that it happens all the time, and there are rarely any punishments for it. For example, Illinois football head coach Bret Bielema is pretty confident that Kirby Smart and Georgia tampered with his running back Josh McCray. Advertisement Josh McCray was one of the best players on the Illinois football team last season, but he now resides in Athens, Georgia. He entered the transfer portal this past offseason, and it didn't take him very long to land with the Bulldogs. 'We did lose a guy to Georgia,' Bielema said during a recent episode of The Triple Option. 'Somehow, he found his way to the portal and 12 hours after being in the portal, he was on a flight to Georgia. I don't know how that happened, but it's crazy. Wish Josh all the best. He took advantage of that opportunity.' McCray had over 600 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns last season for the Fighting Illini. Losing him hurts, but Bielema has a lot of confidence in this year's running back room. It reminds him of a special one that he had back in the day at Wisconsin. 'I'm very excited,' Bielema said. 'We had three guys last year that are coming back to us that are very special. And it's kind of like what I had when I was at Wisco. I had a roster one year John Clay was a fifth-rounder to Pittsburgh, big 260-pound bruiser, just a workout (warrior). Behind him was a guy by the name Montee Ball, ended up being a second-round pick to the Denver Broncos.' Advertisement Just those players would make for an incredibly stacked RB room, but Bielema wasn't finished. 'Then behind him was this young guy named James White, who was the Freshman Big Ten Player of the Year,' he continued. 'Then there was this other guy, Melvin Gordon, who became a first-rounder. Those four guys were on one roster. All four of them were just a little bit different, and that's kind of what I've got going now.' Tampering is a huge problem in college football, and Bret Bielema thinks that his team was a victim of it this offseason. However, the Illinois football team is going with a next man up mentality, and Bielema is confident that the Fighting Illini will be successful at the RB position. Related: North Carolina, Bill Belichick lands ex-Alabama commit to bolster secondary Related: Lee Corso's son is 'disappointed' by College GameDay's Ohio State selection
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Illinois football to lose Citrus Bowl MVP running back to NCAA transfer portal
Illinois running back Josh McCray will jump into the NCAA football transfer portal when it opens on Wednesday, according to a report by The 6-foot-1, 235-pound mauling back ran for 609 yards and 10 touchdowns for the Illini last season, after three previous seasons in which he produced a combined 761 yards and 4 TDs. Advertisement He was a standout in the Illini 21-17 Citrus Bowl win over South Carolina, during which he rushed for 114 yards and notched a pair of TDs on just 13 carries and was named MVP. Illinois football 2024: Every story from Illini run to Citrus Bowl title CHAMPAIGN, ILLINOIS - NOVEMBER 2: Josh McCray #6 of the Illinois Fighting Illini breaks away to run for a touchdown during the first half against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Memorial Stadium on November 2, 2024 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by) McCray was head coach Bret Bielema's first recruit after taking the Illinois job in December 2020. The Illini have Aidan Laughery and Kaden Feagin (season-ending hip surgery) plus Ca'Lil Valentine all returning. Illinois has already added incoming freshman running backs John Forster and Cedric Wyche. This article originally appeared on Journal Star: NCAA transfer portal: Illinois football to lose Citrus Bowl MVP running back
USA Today
21-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Georgia football signs Illinois transfer RB
Georgia football signs Illinois transfer RB The Georgia Bulldogs have signed Illinois Fighting Illini running back Josh McCray via the NCAA transfer portal. McCray is a bruising back, who has one year of eligibility left, and was Illinois' leading rusher in 2024. McCray had a team-high 117 carries, 609 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns (No. 9 in the Big Ten/tied) in 2024. The 6-foot-1, 235-pound running back has a physical running style and is tough to bring down on first contact. McCray does not have elite speed, but runs with toughness and is excellent in between the tackles. McCray spent the first four seasons of his college football career with Illinois. He missed a lot of action in 2022 and 2023 due to injuries, but returned for a healthy and productive campaign in 2024. 247Sports ranks McCray as the No. 27 transfer running back in the country and the No. 435 overall player to enter the portal (includes the spring and winter portal windows). McCray's transfer ranking is surprisingly low considering his production from last season. However, McCray has some limitations as a pass catcher and a concerning injury history, so perhaps that explains McCray's transfer ranking. Highlights from McCray's Cheez-It Bowl game McCray's top performance in 2024 came in Illinois' 21-17 Cheez-It Citrus Bowl win over the South Carolina Gamecocks. He recorded 114 rushing yards on 13 carries and scored two rushing touchdowns. Kirby Smart reacts after McCray's commitment Georgia also brought in Army outside linebacker transfer Elo Modozie and Miami defensive line transfer Josh Horton. The Bulldogs have several other notable transfer portal targets, but they are mostly on defense. Georgia is in the mix for Syracuse defensive lineman Maraad Watson and UNC edge rusher Beau Atkinson, who are two of the top available players in the transfer portal.
USA Today
20-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Illinois transfer RB expected to visit Georgia football
Illinois transfer RB expected to visit Georgia football Illinois Fighting Illini transfer running back Josh McCray is reportedly planning to visit the Georgia Bulldogs. McCray is one of the top running backs available in the transfer portal. The 6-foot-1, 235-pound running back has excellent size and could help Georgia replace running back Branson Robinson, who entered the transfer portal this spring. McCray also has a solid track record of production. As a junior, McCray posted 117 carries for 609 rushing yards and 10 rushing touchdowns (tied for No. 9 in the Big Ten) in 2024. He also added 13 receptions for 116 yards and one touchdown. McCray would be a good complement to Georgia's projected starting running back Nate Frazier, who is shifty and elusive, but does not have McCray's size. McCray is from Enterprise, Alabama. He was originally a three-star recruit in the class of 2021. He's spent the first four seasons of his college football career with Illinois. McCray missed the majority of the season in both 2022 and 2023 due to injuries. The bruising running back has 291 carries, 1,370 rushing yards, and 14 rushing touchdowns in his college football career. He's appeared in 33 games including two starts. McCray's top performance last season came in Illinois' 21-17 Cheez-It Citrus Bowl win over the South Carolina Gamecocks. He recorded 114 rushing yards on 13 carries and scored two rushing touchdowns. Georgia's other transfer targets include
