Randall McCray was hired as ETSU’s Special Teams Coordinator and Safeties Coach by Head Coach Will Healy in 2025. McCray’s last collegiate coaching job was at the University of Northern Iowa where he was the Panthers’ defensive coordinator in 2022.
Before UNI, McCray oversaw the linebackers at Florida International University in Miami since February 2021 after coaching special teams with the NFL's Arizona Cardinals since 2018. Over his 30-year career, McCray has made prominent stops at Clemson, Wisconsin, Pittsburgh, South Carolina, Middle Tennessee, Gardner-Webb and Texas State.
Prior to his NFL experience, McCray spent two seasons at Texas State. While at Texas State, McCray was an assistant head coach and defensive coordinator for the Bobcats. Before joining Withers at Texas State in 2016, McCray spent three seasons at Gardner-Webb as the defensive coordinator and secondary coach.
During those three seasons at Gardner-Webb, the defense held 13 different opponents to fewer than 100 yards rushing. DT O.J. Mau earned All-America honors for the third straight season in 2015 and DE Shaq Riddick earned FCS All-American honors and was fifth in the final voting for the Buck Buchanan Award in 2013. Gardner-Webb had 12 All-Big South defensive players during that span.
In 2010, McCray served as the defensive coordinator for Middle Tennessee. The Blue Raiders ranked second in the conference in scoring defense, passing yards allowed, and pass efficiency defense and Jamari Lattimore earned Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Year honors. DBs Rod Issac and Jeremy Kellem also earned All-Sun Belt first-team honors and DL Dwight Smith was named honorable mention. Issac was later drafted in the fifth round (147th overall) of the 2011 NFL Draft by Jacksonville, the highest pick for a Blue Raider since 2003.
McCray also has coached at Toledo (2003-05), Illinois State (2000-02), Murray State (1997-99), Bethune-Cookman (1996), Clemson (1995), UT Chattanooga (1993-94) and began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at South Carolina from 1991-92.
A native of Monroe, North Carolina, McCray played linebacker at Appalachian State where he was a part of the 1987 Southern Conference championship team and two teams that advanced to the I-AA playoffs. McCray graduated from Appalachian State in 1991 with a degree in communications and earned a master’s in higher education at South Carolina. McCray and his wife, Michelle, have a son, Matt, and a daughter, Mallory.
