Shortly after Torrian GrayThe three-year contract was approved by the university’s Board of Trustees on Friday morning, when South Carolina athletics announced the hiring of the football program’s defense coach. Coach Shane Beamer has eight of the 10 assistant coaches hired, with only positions on the offensive and defensive lines remaining.
LINK: Board of Trustees approves more football contracts
South Carolina football team (on January 15, 2021)
Shane Beamer Head Coach
Torrian Gray, defensive coach
Erik Kimrey, Tight Ends coach
Des Kitchings, Running Backs coach
Pete Lembo, associate head coach / coordinator of special teams
Mike Peterson, coach of external linebackers
Marcus Satterfield, offensive coordinator / quarterback coach
Justin Stepp, Wide Receivers trainer
Clayton White, Defense Coordinator
South Carolina Athletics Communications and Public Relations
Head football coach at the University of South Carolina, Shane Beamer appointed Torrian Gray as the defensive back coach for the Gamecocks, it was announced today.
Gray, 46, trained high school for 21 years, including 17 at the college level and four in the NFL. He developed a series of defensive NFL backs, including Brandon Flowers, Kam Chancellor, Kyle Fuller and Kendall Fuller at Virginia Tech and Teez Tabor, Marcus Maye, Quincy Wilson, Duke Dawson and CJ Henderson in Florida.
“I’ve known Torrian since we played together at Virginia Tech,” said coach Beamer. “First of all, he is a great person and an elite defense coach. He has experience in college and in the NFL as a player and as a coach. Torrian has been part of some great defensive systems at both levels. We work together for five years at Virginia Tech when Tech was known as “DBU” and a big reason for that was Torrian Gray. He’s a great addition to our team. “
Gray has spent the past two seasons training cornerbacks at the University of Florida, his second stint with the Gators. In their first year back to Gainesville in 2019, the Gators tied for ninth place on FBS, with 16 interceptions this season. Under Gray’s guidance, UF was one of only two FBS (FAU) teams to feature four players with at least three interceptions each. In addition, Gray guided cornerbacks CJ Henderson (First Team) and Kaiir Elam (Freshmen Team) to the All-SEC awards by the league coaches. Henderson later became the ninth overall selection in the 2020 NFL Draft. In 2020, Elam received honors from the first All-SEC team.
Prior to his stint at the Gators, Gray worked on defending the Washington franchise in the NFL. In 2017, his first season in Washington, Gray’s defensive back helped produce the team’s strongest season against the pass in nearly a decade. The unit ranked third in the NFL in percentage of allowed completion (57.6 percent), the team’s best ranking since the NFL leadership in the category in 2005 (54.4), while finishing ninth in allowed passing yards. per game (213.8, the team’s lowest rating since 2009) and 10th in the opponent’s passer rating (81.0, the lowest since 2008). One of its outstanding artists was former Gamecock DJ Swearinger.
In 2016, Gray served as a defense technician in Florida. Under Gray’s guidance, cornerback Teez Tabor received first-team All-SEC honors from both the Associated Press and league coaches, while receiving second-team All-American honors from various vehicles. Gray also helped guide Quincy Wilson back defensive to second-team All-SEC honors.
Prior to his arrival in Gainesville, Gray spent a decade at his alma mater, Virginia Tech, leading some of the country’s best defensive backfields. In his 10 seasons training secondary school in Blacksburg under coach Frank Beamer, his unit allowed only 185.0 yards of passes per game and 106.5 passes from the opponent – both ranked second in the country in that period. Opposing defenders have completed only 50.4% of their passes in these 10 seasons, the lowest percentage of any defense in the country. Virginia Tech’s secondary has ranked among the top 15 nationally in the opponent’s passer rank eight times in Gray’s 10 seasons at the head of the unit, including three results in the top five.
During Gray’s tenure, a total of 11 Hokie defensive backs were selected in the NFL Draft.
In 2014, the Hokies had the fourth best pass defense (189.2 ypg) at the Atlantic Coast Conference, despite losing the All-American Kendall Fuller earlier in the season due to an injury. Its unity allowed opponents to complete only 49.6 percent of their passes, the second best in the conference.
In 2006, their first year at the head of the group, they ranked first in the country in passing yards allowed per game (128.2) and second in the opponent’s passing rating (91.3).
Before returning to Virginia Tech, Gray spent two seasons in the NFL as an assistant coach for the 2004-05 Chicago Bears. In 2005, Gray’s unit helped Bears qualify for fifth place in the NFL in defense of passes and finished tied for second in interceptions (24), as defenders Nathan Vasher and Mike Brown won selections in the Pro Bowl.
Gray began his coaching career at the University of Maine, serving as a defense coach for two seasons from 2000-01. He then spent the 2002-03 seasons as a defensive coach at the University of Connecticut. During his time with the Huskies, he trained cornerback Justin Perkins, helping him with two selections for all conferences and 12 career interceptions.
After a distinguished career at Kathleen High School in Lakeland, Florida, Gray played collegially at Virginia Tech and became a national team three times at every conference. He helped lead the Hokies to a couple of conference titles and was drafted by Minnesota Vikings in the second round (49th overall) of the 1997 NFL Draft. He spent three seasons with the Vikings before retiring after a knee injury that ended his career in the spring of 2000.
Born in Lakeland, Florida, Gray has two daughters, Tori and Lexi.