C.J. McCray
C.J. McCray
Disrupts the pocket from the interior. Three head coaches in five seasons, at two different programs. The receipt: 3 tackles, 0.5 TFL against Bowling Green — Week 2, 2025.
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- positional archetype classification
- head-coach lineage
- game log
Career Arc
Coaching Lineage · 2021–2025
2 coachesCoaching transition mid-career: Luke Fickell → Scott Satterfield. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
2025 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
Splits & context
Supporting Cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Scott Satterfield
Awards
Player Standing · 17 rungs
Tier 1 · 2-deepR04 · Rotational
Rotational. Tackle volume for the position in rotation-piece range.
Career stats
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Cincinnati | 6 | -- | 0.5 | 0.5 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2024 | Virginia Tech | 2 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2023 | Virginia Tech | 21 | 8 | 3.5 | 3.5 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2022 | Virginia Tech | 20 | 8 | 2.5 | 2.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2021 | Virginia Tech | 2 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| Career | 51 | 18 | 6.5 | 6.0 | -- | -- | -- |
How he plays
Play style
Disruptive interior rusher who lives in the backfield.
CFB Index positional classification
2026 Outlook
Cincinnati
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Defensive line · Cincinnati
Returning around him
- 4 Cincinnati players drafted to NFL
- Transfer portal: -1 net (22 in / 23 out)
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
Cincinnati · Last season: 7-6 (AP #22) · Talent rank #73 · 2026 recruiting class #58
DNA match
Player DNA
3-Tech Penetrator
Disruptive interior rusher who lives in the backfield.
His 2023 production profile sits closest to Jordan Botelho’s 2023 season.
Matches Jordan on
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a junior, his production profile tracks closest to Eddie Walls III's junior season at Florida International (2024).
Matches Eddie on