New UNI defensive coordinator Randall McCray fitting in

CEDAR FALLS — One of the most consistent, long-running aspects of Northern Iowa football the past two decades has been its defense.

Coach Mark Farley — the 1985 Missouri Valley Conference co-defensive player of the year — installed a defense upon his hiring in 2001 that’s stood the test of time and effectively branded the Panthers as one of the FCS’ preeminent defensive programs.

So, after nine-year defensive coordinator Jeremiah Johnson left for Kent State this offseason, Farley’s search for a replacement required a candidate whose philosophies and concepts would marry with his.

Enter Randall McCray.

“Nobody’s really reinventing the game, but, two-high safety coverages and single-high safety coverages and all those kinds of things, there’s about 20 different ways people try to coach those different coverages,” McCray said. “(Farley) and I, the more we talked, believed in the same concepts and what it came down to now was just learning terminology.

“We come from the same type of generation.”

McCray — who spent 2021 at Florida International as linebackers coach — spent three years as the Arizona Cardinals special teams coach (2018-2020) and has previous defensive coordinator experience at Texas State (2016) and Gardner-Webb (2013-2015).

McCray’s time at Gardner-Webb came alongside his brother Carroll, who was the Runnin’ Bulldogs head coach from 2013-2019. Upon their arrival in 2013, McCray helped lead a historic defensive turnaround that saw Gardner-Webb lead the Big South Conference in total defense, yards per game, rushing defense, passing defense, passing efficiency defense, opponent first downs, opponent third and fourth down conversion rate and sacks.

“That was an incredible experience for me,” McCray said. “We had the kids bought in is what it came down to. And we had really good football players.”

Being the new coach on staff is never easy, especially when you’re replacing a long tenured defensive coordinator at a program that’s had scheme consistency.

With that in mind, McCray knows he has to work to earn the necessary level of buy-in from his new players.

“The very first day I was here — and I told this to Gardner-Webb — I said ‘you’re going to call me coach because I’m wearing a whistle around my neck, but I’ve got to earn the right to coach you,’” McCray said. “Everywhere I go I tell them this also, ‘I’ll treat you like I treat my own son and my own daughter, but the issue with that is they don’t always like me either. But they always respect me because they know I love them.’”

As he learns the terminology of Farley’s defense, McCray — who’s also secondary coach — has been impressed with the leadership of that veteran-laden group.

“The biggest thing I’ve seen from those guys right now is leadership,” McCray said. “They’re really hard-working and they love to practice.

“I don’t have to talk to those guys about running to the football, because they take it upon themselves to do that. They’re great students of the game and they love the game.”

With spring practices past the halfway point, McCray said he’s been focused on making sure the entire secondary is executing things that “require no ability.”

“One of the sayings if you’re around me long enough that I like to talk to my guys about (is), I’d like to be 100 percent on all things that require no ability,” McCray said. “So, what kind of stance am I in? What’s my alignment? Where are my eyes? What are my keys? What’s the call?

“If we can do that we’ll be a good defense.”