As freshman walk-on, running back Greg McCrae said he couldn’t have imagined he would have such an impact on the UCF football team.
“I never imagined all the things all that would have happened, all the success of the program and being part of the program,” he said. “I just wanted to be part of a team and I ended up being part of a family.”
Now, in his senior year, McCrae said when he reflects on the legacy he is leaving on the program, he wants to remember how hard he worked.
“I want myself to know, and all of Knight Nation, that every time I was out [on the field], I gave everything I had — every play, every snap, every second,” he said.
McCrae said until the clock hit double zeros, he wants to remember the hard worker who gave his all, whether it was during practice or in a game.
“I want to be remembered as someone that no matter what he was going through, what was going on in the game, what the scoreboard said, I gave everything I had from snap to final whistle,” he said.
Looking back, McCrae said if there is one piece of advice he could give to himself as a freshman — knowing what he does now — it would be to trust the process.
“I feel like when you come in at a young age — and I think that’s everybody — you just want to be in there and you wanna be so friendly, and ready to play and get in there,” he said.
Learning from his experiences, McCrae said if he could tell the younger version of himself something, it would be that there is a process.
“Trust the coaches, trust what they’re telling you,” he said. “Everything will work out.”
Here’s a brief breakdown of McCrae’s time at UCF.
2017 — 2018
After spending a summer on scholarship with the Navy Midshipmen, then-freshman McCrae made the tough decision to transfer to UCF and walk-on to the football team.
In his first season, McCrae appeared in 13 games at running back and on special teams — he totaled 151 yards on 26 carries with two touchdowns during the 2017-18 season.
McCrae ended his first season as a walk-on helping the Knights go undefeated in the regular season and earn a New Year’s Six Bowl bid. UCF went on to beat Auburn in the 2018 Chick-fil-a Peach Bowl.
2018 — 2019
Before the start of his sophomore season, McCrae was greeted by UCF police officers at the football facility looking for him — McCrae told UCF Today that the officers said they were there to arrest him for unpaid parking tickets, but UCF head football coach Josh Heupel had other plans.
Heupel asked the officers if McCrae’s scholarship would cover the cost of the parking tickets, and McCrae said that’s how he learned he was on scholarship.
McCrae said during an interview that he was fueled by not having a ton of scholarship offers in high school.
“I had a lot of people doubt me. A lot of people didn’t think I could do it,” he told UCF Today. in 2018 “Being able to go out there and get better every day and prove people wrong is something that I take pride in.”
McCrae played all 13 games in his sophomore year, totaling 1,182 yards on the ground on 133 touches with nine touchdowns — he scored 10 touchdowns in the season.
He topped 100 yards rushing three times, including one 200-yard outing, and recorded 17 plays of 20 yards or more, seven of which went for scores, during the season.
McCrae led the team in net rushing yards, yards per carry, rushing touchdowns and rushing yards per game.
2019 — 2020
During his junior year, McCrae played in 10 games, where he started six times at running back, and contributed 529 rushing yards on 98 attempts with seven rushing touchdowns.
The junior running back averaged 5.4 yards per carry and added nine receptions for 64 yards during the season.
2020 — 2021
McCrae holds the career record with a yards-per-carry average of 7.2 per carry — he’s tallied 19 career rushing touchdowns and has 1,862 career rushing yards.
McCrae said he’s confident in his character and whatever legacy he leaves here is up for Knight Nation to decide.
“I’ll leave it up to them to say how they want to remember me,” he said. “I know my character and who I am, so however they remember me and whatever legacy I leave, I leave when I leave here — that’s up to the people to say.”
During a Wednesday press conference, McCrae was asked if he’s given any thought to the additional year of eligibility he will have due to COVID-19 eligibility waivers.
The senior running back said he’s put that thought on the backburner while preparing for the matchup against Cincinnati at the Bounce House on Saturday at 3:30 p.m.
“As of right now, I’m just focused on this game,” he said.
The Knights will face their toughest matchup this season on Saturday against the No. 7 Cincinnati Bearcats.
