The West Virginia Mountaineers football program has added a late addition to the 2025 recruiting class with a commitment from Dodge City (Kan.) 2025 safety Kaleb Gray.
Gray, 6-foot-2, 180-pounds, committed to the Mountaineers after receiving an offer April 29.
The Texas native selected West Virginia over scholarship offers from South Alabama, Ball State, UTEP, Florida International, New Mexico, Utah State, Western Michigan, Middle Tennessee State, Florida Atlantic, Texas San Antonio and Eastern Michigan, among others.
Gray had 32 tackles and 3 forced fumbles during his redshirt freshman campaign at Dodge City.
Gray becomes the latest roster addition for West Virginia this off-season and is the first defensive back to commit to the Mountaineers from the junior college ranks in the 2025 class.
Gray has three years of eligibility remaining in his career.
WVSports.com breaks down the commitment of Gray and what it means to the West Virginia Mountaineers football program both now and in the future.
Skill set:
Gray has excellent size as a defensive back and displays the ability to not only hold up in coverage but come down in run support from his safety spot. He is an aggressive tackler and runs well showcasing his pursuit and closing speed. Also seems to have a knack for knocking the ball loose.
There is versatility to his game as Gray as he was utilized at both safety and cornerback at the junior college level and displays the ability to run with pass catchers and make plays on the football.
Gray is an intriguing prospect to add this late in the game and while the adjustment to the highest level will be critical there is a lot to like with his skill set.
Fitting the program:
West Virginia simply needs quality bodies in the backend of the defense and Gray is an interesting option from the junior college ranks that brings three years of eligibility with him. He is going to have every chance to make a dent in the depth chart, but those extra years could potentially afford him the chance to develop in the future as well.
The Mountaineers haven’t used a ton of junior college options in the roster rebuild to date but have shown the ability to bring in the right fits especially on the defensive side of the ball. While one of the safety spots is where Gray is likely to settle there is the opportunity to move him around given what he brings to the table with his overall skill set. The Texas product made his mark in his first year at the junior college level but there are going to be higher expectations in Morgantown.
Recruiting the position:
At this stage, West Virginia is under a complete roster reconstruction essentially across the board and the defensive backfield isn’t any different. The coaching staff continues to fill needs through various needs and it’s clear that the transfer portal and junior college avenues are both possibilities.
The Mountaineers still need to develop quality depth and increase the competition level across the board at the defensive back spots and that isn’t likely to stop with Gray now in the fold.
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