Kansas State University Athletics
Football
- Title:
- Wide Receivers
- Email:
- jray@kstatesports.com
A young coach with ties to the Big 12, Jason Ray is in his third season at Kansas State in 2021. Ray coaches the fullbacks and tight ends after working with the wide receivers the first two seasons.
Ray’s receivers helped the 2019 Wildcats finish first in the nation in red zone offense (96.2%), rank ninth in the country and first in the Big 12 in time of possession (33:27) and 10th nationally in passes intercepted (5). The red-zone figure was the best by the Wildcats since at least 2001 and the best by a Big 12 team since at least 2004.
He helped complete the career of walk-on-turned-starter Dalton Schoen, who earned Honorable Mention All-Big 12 accolades as a senior and finished his career ranked seventh in school history in yards per reception (17.05) and 15th in total receiver yards (1,569). Under Ray, Schoen helped bring along a young receiver corps as five of the top seven Wildcat receivers were either freshmen or sophomores.
Ray also assisted in the return game as he helped tutor Joshua Youngblood to multiple All-America honors and the Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Year award after returning a nation-leading three kickoffs for touchdowns. Youngblood was the first Wildcat true freshman to be named either First or Second Team All-American since Tyler Lockett in 2011, while he was the first true freshman in Big 12 history to earn the conference’s top honor on either offense, defense or special teams.
In year two with his receivers battling injuries and the Wildcats playing with a true freshman quarterback, six different receivers combined for 59 receptions for 727 yards and six touchdowns. Ray’s receivers helped the Wildcats rank fourth in the nation in red zone offense (93.9%).
In the return game, Ray helped tutor Phillip Brooks, who earned First Team All-Big 12 honors thanks to a 22.1-yard average and two touchdowns on 11 attempts. Brooks’ highwater mark came against Kansas when he broke the school record with 189 yards and a pair of scores en route to Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week accolades. Additionally, Malik Knowles ranked sixth in the Big 12 with an 18.5-yard average on 11 kickoff returns.
Ray came to Manhattan after serving one season at North Dakota State under head coach Chris Klieman. He helped the Bison go 15-0 with a national championship in 2018 thanks in part to an offense that shattered many NDSU and Missouri Valley Conference records, including points scored (622), touchdowns scored (80) and total offense (7,076). Additionally, the 2018 Bison ranked fourth in school history in both passing yards (2,783) and passing touchdowns (28).
On a national scale in 2018, NDSU ranked sixth in scoring offense (41.5 points per game), 10th in passing yards per completion (15.46), second in passing efficiency (169.71) and 14th in total offense (471.7 yards per game).
Ray coached up Darrius Shepherd to All-Missouri Valley Conference honors in 2018 as he led the team with 62 receptions for 1,065 yards and nine touchdowns, including a 125-yard, two-touchdown performance in the national championship to earn Most Outstanding Player honors. Under Ray, Shepherd finished his senior campaign third in school history in receiving yards, tied for third in touchdowns and fourth in receptions. Shepheard also finished second in NDSU history in career receiving yards (2,841) and receptions (188), and sixth in touchdowns (20).
Ray spent the previous three seasons at fellow Missouri Valley Conference schools, coaching wide receivers at Missouri State (2016-17) and Northern Iowa (2015). Ray coached Malik Earl at MSU to a pair of all-conference honors as a junior and senior, while he also tutored Zac Hoover to all-conference honors in 2017.
Prior to joining UNI, Ray spent the 2013 and 2014 seasons as an assistant coach at Oklahoma State mentoring the Cowboys’ receivers and return specialists. Oklahoma State turned in one of the strongest offensive performances in school history in 2013, ranking 14th nationally in scoring and registering the No. 5 passing offense in program history en route to a berth in the Cotton Bowl.
Ray guided Josh Stewart – who set a Big 12 record with a 95-yard punt return for a touchdown – to Second Team All-Big 12 honors, while he ranked fourth nationally in punt-return average (18.2 yards per return). Additionally, Justin Gilbert led the conference in kickoff return average (26.6 yards per return).
Ray’s first coaching job came at Wyoming from 2009 to 2012, helping lead the Cowboys to a pair of bowl games, including a win in the 2009 New Mexico Bowl. He coached the running backs, overseeing the development of All-Mountain West performer Alvester Alexander, who capped his career with 2,127 yards and 27 touchdowns to rank among the top 10 in school history in both categories.
Ray was a three-year letterwinner as a wide receiver at Missouri and was a part of four bowl teams, which included wins in the Independence Bowl (2005) and Cotton Bowl (2007). He was a team captain for the 2007 season when the Tigers won a school-record 12 games, advanced to the Big 12 Championship game and were ranked No. 1 in the nation late in the season, the school’s first top ranking in 47 years.
Ray, who was president of Mizzou’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, graduated with a degree in marketing in 2007. He then worked as a development associate for the Tiger Scholarship Fund where he assisted with prospective donor solicitation, coordinated special events and projects, and cultivated stewardship toward his alma mater’s primary athletics fundraising operation.
Ray and his wife, Courtney, are parents of one daughter, Hensley, and twins Thea and Anderson.
The Ray File
| PERSONAL INFORMATION |
|---|
| Year in Coaching: 13th |
| Year at K-State: Third |
| Hometown: Porter, Oklahoma |
| Spouse: Courtney |
| Children: Hensley, Thea, Anderson |
| EDUCATION |
|---|
| Missouri (2007) Bachelor's Degree Marketing |
| PLAYING EXPERIENCE |
|---|
| Missouri, Wide Receiver (2003-07) |
| PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE |
|---|
| 2009-11 Wyoming (Running Backs) |
| 2012 Wyoming (Wide Receivers) |
| 2013-14 Oklahoma State (Wide Receivers) |
| 2015 Northern Iowa (Wide Receivers) |
| 2016-17 Missouri State (Wide Receivers) |
| 2018 North Dakota State (Wide Receivers) |
| 2019-20 Kansas State (Wide Receivers) |
| 2021 Kansas State (Fullbacks/Tight Ends) |
