Gray in the blue and gold: Northwest standout signs with UTC
Feb. 8—TUNNEL HILL — Northwest Whitfield High School's Hudson Gray will play college ball in blue and gold.
The Bruin standout made his commitment official on Wednesday, signing his national letter of intent to play football at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.
Gray, who played wide receiver, defensive back and punter at Northwest but expects to play receiver at UTC, signed during a ceremony in the lobby of Northwest's gym on Wednesday, putting pen to paper in front of a packed room on the first day of the NCAA's regular signing period for Division I football.
"The biggest thing for me is I really liked the coaches," Gray said. "They just seem like they've really got it rolling and the program keeps developing."
UTC, a Division I football championship subdivision, competes in the Southern Conference. The Mocs reached the FCS playoffs in 2023, finishing with an 8-5 record.
"Hudson has meant so much to our football team with his level of commitment and his ability as a football player, but, more than that, just the type of person he is," Northwest Whitfield head coach Josh Robinson said.
During his senior season, Gray caught 54 passes for 723 yards and nine touchdowns, also totaling 26 tackles, seven pass breakups and a fumble recovery on defense. He was named Region 7-4A first team.
"I'll do the same thing I did here," Gray said of his plans at UTC. "I'll just go play ball."
Gray, who had a handful of other offers from FCS schools — like Samford, Wofford, Furman, Eastern Kentucky and Lehigh — and an offer from FBS Army, said the opportunity to play in college at UTC, just a few minutes from where he grew up, helped win him over.
Gray visited UTC in the fall and earned an offer from the Mocs in January.
"I just really want to be a part of that process close to home," Gray said. "It feels like home, so I just wanted to keep it local and keep putting on for my hometown."
One of the attendees at Gray's ceremony was another former Northwest Whitfield Bruin turned UTC Moc: Isaiah Mack.
Mack, who has his jersey retired by the school, played defensive tackle at UTC before breaking into the NFL as an undrafted free agent. Mack has spent time playing on the Tennessee Titans, New England Patriots and Baltimore Ravens.
Mack posed for a picture with the newest to trade Bruin blue for UTC's navy.
"It's easily to look at him and see what he's done since he left high school and think that that's how I want to be too," Gray said.
