Texas' Gray looking for breakout year as a solo act in senior season

Published May. 13, 2015 1:24 p.m. ET

foxsports

Johnathan Gray is finally getting a solo act.

The senior running back will be Texas' featured rusher in 2015, a first for the once-coveted player out of Texas high school powerhouse Aledo, whose rocky career is down to his final season of eligibility.

After injuries and setbacks and sharing the backfield with Malcolm Brown and Joe Bergeron, Gray is healthy and prepared to get his shot as the premiere back as the Longhorns move to an up-tempo, spread attack after the mostly brutal showing during coach Charlie Strong's debut season.

The Longhorns hope to give Gray a much-improved offensive line and a quarterback -- either Tyrone Swoopes or Jerrod Heard -- who will help open running lanes with a productive passing attack.

Gray gives Texas a dynamic rusher who has the potential to produce a 1,000-yard season and put himself in position to open eyes of scouts and executives around the NFL. He ranks 15th on the Texas all-time rushing list with 2,118 yards. He has just five career 100-yard rushing games, a number he could match, and even surpass, this season if the offense can get into gear.

When the 5-foot-11, 206-pound Gray arrived in Austin, the sky was the limit. The reality now is that Texas is still looking up to conference rivals it never figured it would in TCU and Baylor, last season's Big 12 co-champs. Both schools bring back excellent rushing attacks. The Bears are led by 1,000-yard rusher Shock Linwood and TCU has Aaron Green coming back after something of a breakout season once B.J. Catalon was lost to a concussion in Week 8.

So where does the Longhorns' rushing attack rank among other programs in the state of Texas? Probably not where they envisioned. See the full rankings here.

(h/t Dallas Morning News)

Photo Credit: Brendan Maloney-USA TODAY Sports