BOZEMAN — During fall camp, Montana State defensive coordinator Shawn Howe yelled out a nickname from across the field: "Big-play Tay!"
Tayden Gray, a defensive back from Arlington, Texas, had just made a great effort — just like the nickname implies.
"He’s a guy who is going to grind out a lot of football for us and do a lot of things that maybe go unseen or unheard," Howe explained. "But this is a guy who’s so dynamic he can make plays in that position where everybody should know he’s on the field all the time."
"The plays that come to me, I’ve got to make (them)," Gray said about what the nickname means to him. "Even if it’s a play away from me, if I’m hawking it down from the other side of the field, a pick or a (pass breakup) in a crunch time, like fourth down, just getting them off the field, just doing my job, basically."
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Howe has meant a lot to Gray, beyond just the coaching.
"Coach Howe is my guy," Gray said. "That’s my brother. Even though he’s older, he’s still like a brother to me, a father figure. Every time he sees me, he says we got the same hair color, so we’re like connected in some way. We got a tight connection."
Gray was originally recruited to Montana State by former defensive coordinator Willie Mack Garza, who was close friends with one of his high school coaches.
"He came and he saw me run my 200 (meters) in 21.3 (seconds), and he was like, 'We just need some speedsters in the back end,' and that’s when I got my first and only offer," Gray said as he smiled when reflecting on the story.
Gray moved halfway across the country shortly thereafter to continue his athletic and academic career.
"It’s like my second home, for sure," Gray said about MSU. "Nobody really likes the cold if you’re from Texas, but you kind of have to get immune to the snow and the cold, but I love the atmosphere, the fans, the people, just everyone. It’s great spirits."
He’s one of 15 Texas natives on the team, which shows just how integral the Lone Star State is to the program.
"They’re kind of raised the right way. Football is so important down there," Howe said. "But we’ve been fortunate to get just some really good athletes and good football players and guys that really love football."
Gray plays for more than himself on Saturdays. He smiled when asked about his life off the field.
"Being with my girlfriend, we got an expecting baby on the way — December — so just being there for her and knowing that I’m here for her, even when the baby isn’t here yet, and when she does get here, just being a good father," Gray said.
Family has always been the foundation for him.
"They mean everything," Gray said. "That’s who I do it for. If it wasn’t for them, I probably wouldn’t be here right now. Any time I’m down, thinking negative, I just think of my girl, my family and my kid."
His family comes to as many games as they can to cheer him on.
"It’s amazing," Gray said about what it's like seeing them in the stands supporting him. "Just knowing they can come out here and support me in each and every way, and just, being the baby boy, they just have no other choice but to come out here and watch."
Montana State starts Big Sky Conference play against Eastern Washington at 2 p.m. on Saturday at Bobcat Stadium. The game will air statewide on The Spot – MTN.
