Secondary is Primary for New Tech Coach
Interview with Hokie Defensive Backs Coach Torrian Gray
by Neal Turnage
“That’s your ball! Find it! Find it!” shouts Virginia Tech’s new defensive backs coach Torrian Gray as the offense tries to loft a pass over the head of one of his cornerbacks. The defender and receiver jump in unison and fight for the ball before it ultimately falls to the ground.
Gray immediately gets on his man for missing what could have been an easy interception. “You’re in great shape,” he tells the player. “No reason you couldn’t get to that ball. I can’t help you find it.”
Often, Gray gets very animated at practice. He delights in every batted ball and interception. He takes it personal when his guys get beat or come up short on a jump ball. You almost think he plans on suiting up for the next game.
For Gray, football has been a lifelong dream with Virginia Tech playing a central role.
As a player at Virginia Tech (1992-1996) Gray and his teammates went to four consecutive bowl games for the first time in school history. He earned All-BIG EAST honors three times and was named as the Hokies’ Outstanding Defensive Back in 1996.
He is most famously remembered by Hokie fans for a play against the University of Virginia where he ran down running back Tiki Barber to prevent what would have been a 90-yard touchdown run to start the game.
Selected in the second round of the 1997 NFL Draft by the Minnesota Vikings (49th overall), his career was cut short in 2000 by a knee injury. His contributions on the field, however, helped the Vikings make the playoffs each year he was there.
Gray transitioned from player to coach when he took charge of the defensive backs for the University of Maine for two years and then the University of Connecticut for two years. That experience led him back to the NFL where he served as an assistant coach for the always-stingy Chicago Bears defense.
He now brings that experience back to Blacksburg as he takes over this season as the defensive backs coach for the Hokies.
Gray hails from Lakeland, Fl., earned his bachelor’s degree in consumer studies from Tech and has an 8-year-old daughter, Tori.
Gray took some time after practice recently to answer a few questions for Planet Blacksburg. The transcript of that interview, from Aug. 24, follows:
Q: How does it feel to be back at Virginia Tech as a coach?
Gray: It’s an awesome feeling, to come back and coach at my alma mater. Tech being a big-time football program right now, its been a joy and a blessing to be able to come back.
Q: How does the secondary look this year?
Gray: I tell you what, we’ve got a lot of guys that are injured but the guys that are practicing that are healthy, our starters, I really feel good with those guys. D.J. Parker, Macho Harris, Brandon Flowers, Cary Wade, those guys are very solid and looking very good. And behind them because of injuries, we’ve got a lot of freshmen. Young, inexperienced guys, so we’ve just got to try to continue to get those guys better. But I really like the group.
Q: For the past few years with guys like a Deangelo Hall or a Jimmy Williams, Tech has had a premier or “shut-down” corner on the squad. Right now the national media has not branded any one player with that title. Do we have another player of that caliber in this class?
Gray: I really like the way both of our corners work, Brandon Flowers and Macho Harris. I think that both of them are very good and talented and could actually be a really good duo.
Q: Does the unit have its own identity or is it more of a collection of characters and personalities?
Gray: They’re all individuals and they’re all different in their own unique way but it’s my job as a coach and as the leader of the secondary to make it one cohesive group. When we’re in our meetings and on the practice field we try to make it one cohesive unit. They call themselves “D-Block” as a nickname, as the unifying moniker of the group.
Q: And who is the leader of “D-Block”?
Gray: D.J. Parker
Q: How ready are they for the first game? Is there still a lot of work to do or are they pretty close?
Gray: With the older guys, they’re chomping at the bit. And the younger guys still have a lot of work to do; not that the older guys don’t have work to do, they’re just further ahead and more prepared for the start of the season right now.
Q: You seem, from my observation, to be one of the more vocal of the coaches. Is that a style you developed from a previous coach or something that has evolved out of your own personality?
Gray: I know what I liked as a player and the kind of coach that I thought did a great job with us and really got our attention was a more vocal, energetic coach. You can feed off that energy. For me its part of my personality, when I’m out there its like a switch turns on. I’m very vocal; try to be very energetic, I’m trying to feed part of me into those guys so that they can be an extension of me out there.
Q: Tell us a little about your NFL experience and how it translates to helping out the Hokies.
Gray: It’s unreal, I mean, to be able to play on that level and to get paid the amount of money you got paid to do something you actually love is really all you can ask for. Then to coach on that level, to be able to coach that caliber of athlete is kind of the pinnacle of our profession so it was an awesome experience for me. And how does it help us here? Well, I’ve played and coached at the highest level of football and got to work under some great people and see how they approach coaching defensive backs and how they approach running their teams. You kind of steal things from all those people and mix them with my personality then give the technique and fundamentals to the defensive backs here.
Q: We see your daughter, Tori, close by at practices and team functions. How does she feel in the company of all the players and coaches?
Gray: You know, it’s amazing when I observe her. She’s been around it so it doesn’t faze her. She’s around all these big guys yet she’s kind of in her own world. She enjoys being in the office with me. She likes drawing on the chalkboard or the dry erase board with her pictures or playing hangman. I love having her around.
Q: Last question, do people still approach you about running down Tiki Barber?
Gray: Yeah! (Laughs) I guess that’s a play that a lot of people who keep up with the history of Virginia Tech football have a vivid memory of. They always remind me of that play. So as long as I’m here, I’ll never forget that play. But if that’s what they remember me for it’s not a bad thing at all.