LJ McCray named On3 Preseason True Freshman All-American
On3 has assembled a comprehensive Preseason True Freshman All-American Team for 2024 — and the Florida Gators’ LJ McCray has made the list. Here is what On3 Director of Scouting and Rankings Charles Power said about McCray, an edge from Daytona Beach (Fla.) Mainland:
“LJ McCray was one of the biggest senior risers in the 2024 cycle by way of a dominant final prep campaign. He is a top physical talent and has outstanding size at 6-foot-6, around 280 pounds. I’m sure he has continued to fill out at Florida. He has plus-length, he’s extremely strong and plays with a high-end effort level. His father is a college football coach and he just knows how to play with his athletic gifts and understanding of the game. It’s not a shock to learn that he is set to make an impact at Florida early on.”
LJ McCray was a 5-star recruit
McCray undoubtedly was the second most hyped member of Florida’s 2024 recruiting class, trailing only quarterback DJ Lagway, the Gatorade National Player of the Year. McCray, now listed at 6-foot-6, 264 pounds on the official Gators website, was the No. 10 recruit in the country for the On3 Industry Rankings. In 35 games at Mainland, he recorded 133 tackles (73 solo), 18 sacks and 62 tackles for loss. He chose Florida over Auburn, FSU, Georgia and Miami.
Now, he figures to have a strong career in Gainesville. This spring, co-defensive coordinator Ron Roberts raved about McCray’s ability. “Yeah, he’s special. He’s already done enough, just in Identity and all those things. He’s gonna be a tremendous football player,” Roberts said.
Meanwhile, Gators coach Billy Napier also has spoken highly of McCray.
“He’s going to play over the EDGE for us. Mike Peterson has been recruiting him. We kind of see him in that F mode. He certainly has got a lot of position flex,” Napier said. “LJ is an alpha. He’s a leader. He’s an elite competitor, and he’s done very similar things at his high school. I think he’s got that type of presence and that type of voice, and he’s an impact player.”
Last week, Napier called the F position the “most competitive” room on the team. The battle for playing time consists of redshirt juniors Justus Boone and Tyreak Sapp, sophomore Kamran James and McCray. Per Zach Abolverdi of Gators Online, “Boone and Sapp are considered starters 1A and 1B, but James and McCray have both earned playing time. Florida will have a four-man rotation at the F position and get a lot of shots on the QB.”
Here is On3’s Preseason True Freshman All-American Team for 2024.
