MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – WVU took to the transfer portal to replenish its wide receiver room after four off-season departures. When you add in a pair of promising freshmen like Rodney Gallagher and Traylon Ray, it makes the position even deeper.

While Gallagher is one of the most highly anticipated players in the 2023 class, Ray has shown his potential to be in the same category, especially on Saturday.

“He was our leading receiver in the scrimmage,” head coach Neal Brown said of Ray.

The Tallahassee native stands 6-foot-3 and is listed at 193 pounds. Ray, Devin Carter, and Noah Massey are the tallest at the position.

At North Florida Christian, Ray finished with 1,236 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns in his 12-game senior season. As a junior, he amassed 1,366 receiving yards and 17 touchdowns in 11 contests.

“He’s smooth,” Brown said. “He’s going to be a player. He didn’t get here until late because he was playing baseball late, so he’s only been here since the last week of June. I like him. He’s long. Got really good ball skills. Natural. Highly intelligent.”

Brown said he has known Ray’s high school coach for quite some time so he’s familiar with the playing style at North Florida Christian. He said they run “a lot of the same concepts” as they do at WVU, so he attributes that experience to Ray being ahead of the curve.

“He’s going to be a good player. It’s not out of the question he’ll play right away,” Brown said.