UCLA only has a handful of commitments for the 2023 class, but what it lacks in quantity it has made up for in quality with three of the seven commits hold a four-star ranking from Rivals. Among that group is Norco receiver Grant Gray, who has continued to shine during his senior season after a strong spring and summer.
Gray grabbed plenty of attention from college programs early in the process, and several breakout performances in the spring helped earn him many offers from across the country.
Ultimately, the opportunity to play both football and baseball plus stay close to home won out and he committed to the Bruins back in April. Since that time, Gray has been focused on his game and improving while helping his team earn victories.
Thursday night, the four-star prospect did just that by catching 10 passes for 146 yards plus three receiving touchdowns in a 69-28 win over Vista Murrieta sealing a key win for Gray's team.
The future UCLA receiver had several highlight catches including a touchdown that was brought back because of a penalty on one of his teammates. On the play Gray caught a screen pass before stiff arming and tossing aside a defender and juking another one on his way to the end zone.
The 6-foot-3 recruit has continued to fine tune his game, and he has started to hit his stride midway through the season. He now has 48 catches for 538 yards receiving and seven touchdown catches through six games.
"I went through a foot injury and I'm still going through a shoulder injury now, but putting in that work during the offseason is definitely paying off."
On the recruiting front, Gray says he continues to work a couple defensive prospects that he wants to have join him in Westwood next year but his own commitment remains solid at this stage of the process. He wore a UCLA shirt under his pads Thursday night in addition to wearing UCLA gloves during the game.
His relationship with receivers coach Jerry Neuheisel remains strong, and Gray has also liked what the Bruins have shown so far this year on the field. He has been to every home game already and will be in the stands at the Rose Bowl on Friday night when the Bruins take on No. 15 Washington.
"They definitely look strong especially with DTR," Gray said about the UCLA offense. "He's doing his thing over there, so I feel like I can fit in pretty well."
Gray says he has watched both Jake Bobo and Logan Loya when he's attended UCLA games this year with his hope being that he can be a combination of both players when he begins his career with the Bruins.
Bruin Blitz recruiting analyst Matt Moreno caught up with Gray after his big performance Thursday night, and you can watch the full interview below. The four-star receiver discusses his senior season up to this point, his impressions of the Bruins and more.
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