The First Academy football’s Demetrice McCray commits to Pitt Panthers

The 6-foot, 180-pound three-star receiver chose the Panthers over offers from UCF, UNC, Ole Miss and others.

By Sam Albuquerque
| 12:00 a.m. June 1, 2025

Sports
High Schools

The First Academy rising senior Demetrice McCray, a 6-foot, 180-pound three-star wide receiver, announced his commitment to play college football for the Pitt Panthers. He selected the ACC program over UCF, North Carolina, Ole Miss and Iowa State.

“I wanna thank my Lord, my friends and family,” McCray wrote in an X post. “There's nowhere else I'd think would be home like Pitt. With that being said, I’m 100% committed.”

In eight games for the Royals in 2024, the All-Orange Observer first team selection showed just how dynamic of a player he was by racking up 894 receiving yards on 36 catches — an average of 24.8 yards per catch — with nine touchdowns; he also added an interception to his season tally, despite not seeing much action as a defensive back.

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Sam Albuquerque

A native of João Pessoa, Brazil, Sam Albuquerque moved in 1997 to Central Florida as a kid. After earning a communications degree in 2016 from the University of Central Florida, he started his career covering sports as a producer for a local radio station, ESPN 580 Orlando. He went on to earn a master’s degree in editorial journalism from Northwestern University, before moving to South Carolina to cover local sports for the USA Today Network’s Spartanburg Herald-Journal. When he’s not working, you can find him spending time with his lovely wife, Sarah, newborn son, Noah, and dog named Skulí.