Five-Star DL LJ McCray Finalizes Gators Pledge, Signs With Florida

Florida's prized defensive commit LJ McCray will officially continue his football career in Gainesville after signing with the Gators Wednesday.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Standout in-state defender LJ McCray has made his commitment to Florida official, announcing that he has signed the dotted line of his National Letter of Intent to the Gators on Early National Signing Day on Wednesday. 

McCray's signing was revealed after reports surfaced of Florida's planned hiring of Tulane assistant Gerald Chatman to fill its vacant defensive line coaching position. 

Hailing from Daytona Beach, Fla., the five-star trench-man is the Gators' second-highest-rated commit in the cycle as the No. 8 defensive lineman and No. 35 overall prospect. 

He recently received a substantial boost following an uber-productive senior year at Mainland High School. He finished his prep career totaling 133 tackles, 62 tackles for loss, 18 sacks, three forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, five pass breakups and one interception in 35 games over three years. 

The 6-foot-6, 265-pound defensive end prospect — who has seen time at nearly every spot in the trenches for the Buccaneers — endured a busy recruitment process, pursued by a bevy of the nation's top programs before his Oct. 21 commitment to UF. 

The considerable interest from the high-level institutions came for good reason, given the impressive strength, length and functional athleticism he sports to make a frequent impact on opposing teams in the backfield.

While McCray continues growing into his own as a pass rusher, accounting for 13 sacks as a senior, his ability to use his long limbs and grip strength to latch onto ball carriers moving into other holes against the run encapsulates his potential to command a role in the Florida defense as a true freshman.

He'll expectedly operate in rotation at F-end within edge rushers' coach Mike Peterson's unit.

Despite late pushes from several upwardly trending programs, most notably Auburn and Florida State, McCray remained steadfast in his pledge to the Gators. He officially sealed the deal on Wednesday, despite a multi-hour delay from his scheduled 11:00 a.m. signing ceremony.

Learn more about McCray's skill set and pledge to the Gators via his All Gators recruit profile below.

 A perfect fit for the modern mold of a penetrating defensive lineman, McCray's lengthy and imposing frame offers room to add healthy weight and muscle mass at the next level without losing his explosiveness off of the line of scrimmage. McCray's size, speed and strength combination suits him for roles at multiple positions, allowing him to play the edge on early downs and rush from the interior in passing situations. Although McCray primarily aligns as a five-technique, he has displayed this versatility with snaps at three-tech and 4i in high school. By his mid-senior season commitment, McCray had produced 92 total tackles including 40 for loss, 12 sacks, three fumble recoveries and five pass breakups over 28 varsity appearances with Mainland. He picked Florida over Florida State, Georgia, Miami and Auburn.

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