Kansas State Football | Meet wide receivers coach Jason Ray | February 4, 2019

Meet new Kansas State wide receivers coach Jason Ray, who joins Chris Klieman's first staff at K-State.

BIO:
A young coach with ties to the Big 12, Jason Ray was hired as the wide receivers coach at Kansas State in December 2018. Ray comes to Manhattan after serving one season at North Dakota State under head coach Chris Klieman.

Ray 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 tutored 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.