Former Florida CB Coach Torrian Gray Hired by South Carolina, Per Report
After Florida and its two defensive back coaches parted ways entering the 2021 offseason, one of those two assistants has found work with one of the Gators' SEC East rivals.
Former UF cornerbacks coach Torrian Gray has reportedly joined the South Carolina Gamecocks coaching staff, led by new head coach Shane Beamer, according to Chris Vannini of The Athletic. Gray, 46, spent the last two seasons with the Gators under head coach Dan Mullen, as well as a one-year stint in 2016 with previous UF head coach Jim McElwain.
Gray will serve as the Gamecocks' defensive backs coach, per Vannini.
Florida hired former Auburn defensive backs coach Wesley McGriff on Saturday. The university has not confirmed if he will coach one position or the entire secondary.
Gray played with Beamer at Virginia Tech from 1995-96, under head coach Frank Beamer, Shane's father. The two then coached together on the Hokies staff, with Frank, from 2011-15. Gray had spent 11 years on the Virginia Tech staff before his first job with the Gators.
Florida owned the nation's No. 100 passing defense in 2020, allowing 257.5 yards through the air per game. One could argue the cornerback room performed better than the safeties and STAR nickel cornerback, however, positions that were coached by Ron English and not Gray.
Notably, cornerback Kaiir Elam was named to the All-SEC Coaches First-Team, securing two interceptions and 11 defended passes under Gray's guidance..
Gray also served as an ace recruiter for Florida during his short second stint with the Gators, and has strong ties to the South Florida area which should positively impact the Gamecocks and could come back to bite the Gators. Gray was the lead recruiter for consensus five-star 2021 cornerback Jason Marshall Jr.
McGriff is a proven coach in the SEC and there is room to add another defensive backs coach to Florida's staff, but Gray's work with the Gamecocks could be worth monitoring moving forward, at least on the trail.
