One of the Sun Belt Conference’s top professional football prospects in the class of 2017 … candidate for all-conference recognition … has played in all 37 games as a Mountaineer and owns 25 career starts … owns prototypical size for a safety … despite his 6-3, 210-pound frame, is one of the Mountaineers’ most athletic defenders … has range and ball skills to cover large swaths of the field in the passing game and size, strength and tackling ability to come down in the box and offer support against the run.
2015: Started all 13 games at free safety … ranked seventh on the team with 53 tackles … tied for third on the squad with two interceptions … tied for fourth on the team with four passes defended … recorded at least one tackle in all 13 games and made multiple stops in 11-of-13 contests … opened the season with three tackles in limited action against Howard (Sept. 5) … notched five solo stops at eventual national finalist Clemson (Sept. 12) … after relatively slow start (nine tackles in first three contests), went on a tear with 43 stops over the final nine games of the regular season (4.8 per game) … recorded at least four tackles in each of the final nine games of the regular season … opened the torrid stretch with five tackles in rain-soaked 31-13 win over Wyoming (Oct. 3) … playing near his hometown of Suwanee, Ga., recorded four tackles and forced a fumble in 37-3 romp over Georgia State (Oct. 10) … was in on tackles for loss in back-to-back wins over UL Monroe (Oct. 17) and Georgia Southern (Oct. 22) … matched a season high with six total tackles (five solo) in the nationally televised win over archrival Georgia Southern … had five tackles in triple-overtime triumph over Troy (Oct. 31) … tallied six tackles (five solo) in loss to eventual Sun Belt champion Arkansas State (Nov. 5) … closed the regular season with four tackles at Idaho (Nov. 14), five vs. UL Lafayette (Nov. 28) and four at South Alabama (Dec. 5) … recorded one tackle in Raycom Media Camellia Bowl victory over Ohio.
2014: Appeared in all 12 games ... saw extensive playing time at safety despite not being a member of the starting lineup ... was also one of Appalachian State’s premier special-teams players, particularly on kickoff and punt coverage ... made 25 tackles, good for the team’s second-highest total by a non-starter (behind only D.J. Ward’s 29 stops) ... led the team with eight special-teams tackles (five on kickoffs, three on punts) ... recorded at least one tackle in 10-of-12 games ... after making just three stops over the first three games, tallied a total of seven tackles against Georgia Southern and South Alabama (three at GS, four vs. USA) ... also broke up a pass against South Alabama ... made three tackles in come-from-behind win over UL Monroe ... was in on two stops in victory at UL Lafayette ... closed the season with a season-high eight tackles (including five solo stops) against Idaho.
2013: Started all 12 games at free safety as a redshirt freshman .. ranked second on the team and 29th in the Southern Conference with 73 tackles … 73 stops led all SoCon freshmen … added 2.5 tackles for loss and a half sack … had multiple tackles in every game and at least four stops in 11-of-12 contests … made seven tackles in his collegiate debut at Montana … notched six or more tackles in six-straight games (six vs. Elon, seven vs. Charleston Southern, six vs. The Citadel, eight vs. Samford, six vs. Furman and nine vs. Georgia Southern) … tallied five stops, including four solo, at Georgia … turned in perhaps his best performance of the season with nine tackles, including a season-high seven solo, in win at Wofford.
2012: Redshirted.
High School: Had 57 tackles and an interception en route to first-team all-region and all-county recognition as a senior … named MVP of 2011 Georgia Athletic Association North-South all-star game after intercepting two passes to help lead the North to a 20-3 win … also participated in 2011 Rivalries of Gwinnett all-star game … helped lead Peachtree Ridge to 8-3 record and state playoff appearance as a senior … coached by Mark Fleetwood.
Personal: Full name is Paul Alexander Gray ... born Sept. 15, 1993 (turns 22 during season) ... son of Paulette Gray ... majoring in health promotion.
