Deante McCray
Deante McCray
Wins his gap play after play. Two head coaches in four seasons, at two different programs. The receipt: 6 tackles against Virginia — Week 5, 2025.
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- positional archetype classification
- head-coach lineage
- game log
Career Arc
Coaching Lineage · 2022–2025
1 coachPlayed his entire career under Mike Norvell.
2025 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
Splits & context
Supporting Cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Mike Norvell
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 | Florida State | 25 | 8 | 4.5 | 1.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2024 | Western Kentucky | 55 | 24 | 2.5 | 2.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2023 | Western Kentucky | 36 | 16 | 4.5 | 2.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2022 | Western Kentucky | 3 | 2 | 1.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| Career | 119 | 50 | 12.5 | 5.0 | -- | -- | -- |
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 1 · 2025
W 31–17
vs Alabama
1 TFL · 1 SOLO · 1 TOT
How he plays
Play style
Stout at the point of attack — steady tackle-for-loss production without a standout pass-rush number.
CFB Index positional classification
2026 Outlook
Florida State
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Defensive line · Florida State
Returning around him
- 1 Florida State player drafted to NFL
- Transfer portal: -21 net (22 in / 43 out)
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
Florida State · Last season: 5-7 (AP #25) · Talent rank #19 · 2026 recruiting class #16
DNA match
Player DNA
Two-Gap Base
Stout at the point of attack — steady tackle-for-loss production without a standout pass-rush number.
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Dylan Horton’s 2021 season.
Matches Dylan on
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a senior, his production profile tracks closest to Merhauti Xepera's senior season at Fresno State (2025).
Matches Merhauti on
Background
ACCOLADES: 2025: FSU Team Honors - Defense Newcomer of the Year...graduated from Florida State with sociology degree in Spring 2026 2024: All-Conference USA Honorable Mention 2023: Conference USA All-Freshman Team 2025 (Redshirt Junior): Played 12 games with two starts against Miami and Pitt...ha...