Deante McCray’s familiarity with the 3-3-5 at Western Kentucky made him a valuable pickup in the transfer portal for Florida State.

The defensive lineman’s first impressions of the scheme have been positive. And so have FSU coaches’ first impressions of McCray.

“I like how they let us attack,” McCray said. “They want us to go get it. They let us rush the passer. They let us do all of that. We have a really good coaching technique that coach (Terrance) Knighton has with us. It’s a good scheme, great scheme.”

McCray played in 29 games (starting 19) at Western Kentucky, including his final 18 at the school. He recorded 59 tackles and 2.5 sacks in 2024, finishing with a blocked field-goal attempt in the Boca Raton Bowl against James Madison. The next day the Jacksonville native was in Tallahassee for a visit.

The 6-foot-4, 274-pound McCray has adjusted well to FSU’s scheme.

“McCray is big, strong,” FSU coach Mike Norvell said. “We’ve seen him play against big opponents. Day in and day out, he’s made some big strides in the last couple weeks. We got to continue to see that but like where he’s trending.”

McCray is making a step up from a Group of 5 school to Power 4. But the appeal for him was to move closer to home, and it’s notable McCray is a redshirt junior and could be beneficial for the Seminoles as a multi-year transfer.

“It was definitely a new experience but I feel like I soaked it in pretty quickly,” McCray said. “I got here and I knew it was the same goal. New destination but the same goal ultimately. I just work and be the best I could be.”

He’s also cross-trained at multiple positions along the line this spring.

“I move up and down quite a bit,” McCray said. “I play end, nose tackle, sometimes jack. That’s what I like. I like to show versatility. I like to show my skill set.”

McCray said Nebraska transfer defensive end James Williams has been a “great resource” and helped teach defensive coordinator Tony White’s scheme to the linemen. He also discussed a strong bond built between the linemen on and off the field.

“We’ve got good young guys as well as older guys,” McCray said. “We can throw in a mix of young guys in with the older guys. Everybody can play well together. As long as you have great chemistry, I feel like that’s all that matters. We’ll make the plays that come to us.”

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