What's In A Name? All You Need to Know About Racey McMath
Racey McMath. What a name.
But it’s not just some random moniker. It is one that has meaning and significance.
When his mother was pregnant with him, she decided that would be his name because he consistently moved around.
“It felt like he was just racing in my stomach, so we said, ‘Ok, that’s going to be his name – let’s call him Racey,’” his mother told LSU, where McMath played three collegiate seasons.
A sixth-round pick, McMath is one of two wide receivers the Tennessee Titans selected in the 2021 NFL Draft. And while how he got his name is probably the one thing everyone wondered upon his selection on Saturday, the 6-foot-3, 224-pounder is an interesting prospect for the Titans for many reasons.
Here are five things to know about one of the Titans’ newest wide receivers:
He played with some of the best young wide receivers in the NFL. At LSU, McMath did not produce massive numbers on offense. He caught only 33 passes for 522 yards and four touchdowns in three seasons.
A lot of that had to do with the fact that he sat behind Minnesota Vikings star receiver Justin Jefferson, Cincinnati Bengals rookie Ja’Marr Chase and Carolina Panthers rookie Terrace Marshall Jr. Jefferson and Chase were first-round picks in 2020 and 2021, respectively, and Marshall was a second-round pick this year.
“To be honest, those guys, they are just great players,” McMath said. “There were just kind of ahead of me and I learned from those guys and we always competed at the end of the day. I can’t say that I didn’t work hard or anything like that and that I didn’t know what I was doing. But it was just something that happened. I know that everything happens for a reason and just waiting for the next step.”
He shares a close relationship with Titans cornerback Kristian Fulton. Funny enough, McMath and Fulton, who the Titans selected in the second round of last year’s draft, were college roommates. By now, Fulton has presumably welcomed his friend to Nashville.
“I’m pretty sure after things settle down I’m going to call and talk it up with him,” McMath said shortly after he was picked. “That was my roommate at LSU, so we are closer than close.”
McMath is a capable special teams contributor. While the Titans would like to see McMath develop as a receiver, he first will need to make an impact on special teams to make the roster and see action on game day.
Coach Mike Vrabel said the one thing that stood out about McMath in the pre-draft process was the high degree of “speed and violence” with which he plays.
“I feel like it is how I use my speed. I have the size,” McMath said. “I play with a physical edge to the game, but I know my speed is a big thing in my getting up and down the field and making those plays.”
He developed as a special teams contributor at LSU under Greg McMahon, who has been coaching that unit for more than a decade for numerous collegiate programs and the New Orleans Saints (2008-2016).
“Coach McMahon gave me the opportunity. He stayed on me. I always asked him questions and he always just gave me pointers on being a great special teamer because he saw the potential I had, and he always pushed me,” he said. “He was the hardest on me at practice because he saw the potential. If I made a mistake, he would let me have it. I just know that was him wanting the best out of me because he saw the potential I had.”
He’s a champion. McMath helped lead his high school, Edna Karr, to a Louisiana state championship in 2016. As a sophomore at LSU in 2019, he contributed to a Tigers team that did not lose a game en route to dominating Clemson in the 2019 National Championship game.
A big-name connection. McMath had four touchdown receptions for LSU. He caught two of them from Heisman Trophy winner and 2020 No. 1 overall pick Joe Burrow, who now plays for the Bengals.
