Duke tight end Noah Gray grabs a piece of Blue Devils’ football receiving history
.JPG "Duke’s Noah Gray (87) gets tied up by North Carolina A&T’s Antoine Wilder (9) during the first half of an NCAA college football game in Durham, N.C., Saturday, Sept. 7, 2019.")
Duke quarterback Chase Brice has had an inconsistent season but he quickly learned one thing: throwing the ball to Noah Gray is never a bad decision.
No Duke tight end has caught more passes than Gray. His second catch in Saturday’s game against N.C. State moved him past Stan Crisson with 99 career receptions, the most by a tight end in school history. Crisson played in the early 1960s.
No. 87 for the Blue Devils is dependable, reliable, consistent. The 6-4, 240-pound senior can mix it up along the line, getting key blocks. He can find the open areas in pass routes and has the sure hands, and he’s a big target.
Against Notre Dame in the opener, Gray lined up in the backfield at times. On one play, he shot a gap through the line after the snap and hauled in a nice sideline pass.
Gray, a native of Leominster, Mass., was named one of Duke’s co-captains for the 2020 season. That came after a 2019 season in which he caught 51 passes, was named second-team All-ACC and was a second team Walter Camp All-America selection.
Gray led ACC tight ends in catches and was second among Power Five tight ends in grab in 2019. He had five or more receptions in six games, with a season-high seven against Wake Forest.
Gray went into Saturday’s game with a team-high 21 catches for 217 yards in the first five games, with two touchdowns.
“He’s very talented,” Duke coach David Cutcliffe said on a recent media call. “He’s gifted. He can run. He’s out with the wide receivers getting work and a great route runner. But he also doesn’t mind going in and mixing it up in the line of scrimmage.
“He can play fullback. He can play tight end. He can play receiver and he can line up next to a tackle. That’s a rare breed of player.”
Cutcliffe said Gray works as hard on the practice field as during games. His teammates notice, the coach said. Everyone does.
“I would say that he doesn’t only inspire his fellow teammates, he inspires his coaches including this one right here,” Cutcliffe said. “ He is a very inspirational young man.”
“Every day we go to practice, he means more to this team than people might realize. Noah empties the bucket every day. I’ve never seen Noah take a rep off or a day off and his teammates would all tell you that. People are going to listen to your actions by far more than they’re going to listen to your words. Noah doesn’t say a whole lot, doesn’t have to. He’s inspirational.”
