Former Last Chance U star has final chance to shine for Louisville football

Former Last Chance U star and current Louisville football player Gary McCrae has one final opportunity to stand out in 2019.

He made his name in high school, became a loveable household name on the Netflix show Last Chance U, and has spent his last three years with Louisville football. However, Gary MaCrae’s football career has been at a standstill since his arrival in Louisville in 2016.

Coming out of high school, the 6’4,” 240-pound outside linebacker from Cuthbert, Georgia was a big-time name in the world of recruiting. McCrae committed to Georgia as a near consensus four-star recruit, but ultimately never enrolled with the Bulldogs after failing to qualify.

Instead, McCrae enrolled at East Mississippi Community College, the subject of the first two seasons of the increasingly popular Netflix series Last Chance U.

The show follows a community college that is best known for its odd dynamics within its football program. Buddy Stephens, the ECCU coach for the first two seasons, built a foundation of winning championships in the small town of Scooba, Mississippi by recruiting 1 and 2-year players who were high school and college stars but ultimately couldn’t make it in school due to poor grades or behavior problems.

The show focuses on the team as a whole and follows them through the inevitable highs and lows of a season, and narrows its focus on about a half dozen players in order to give the viewers a better understanding of the trials and tribulations of the student-athletes on their final legs.

Though his season will always be remembered as the year that the world learned about Ronald Ollie, became entangled with the stories of DJ Law (who almost was a Cardinal) and John Franklin III, and fell in love with Brittany Wagner, McCrae is a player who was also featured and had an opportunity to really tell his story. He also became the highest-profile recruit and one of the only players from season one to end up at a power five school.

McCrae’s story already has a happy ending. He wasn’t able to go to his dream school out of high school because of grades, but he got a “last chance,” and took advantage of his opportunity in Scooba.

Since his arrival in Louisville, however, McCrae really hasn’t had an opportunity to see serious playing time for the Cardinals. He played in only two games his first year without recording any stats, and though he appeared in eight games during his junior season, McCrae saw most of his action on special teams.

In 2018, McCrae really got his shot. He appeared in a back-up role against Alabama and Indiana State to open the season, but a shoulder injury against the Sycamores put him out for the rest of the year.

All in all, McCrae has appeared in twelve games, mostly in special teams situations or as a back-up, and has only recorded four tackles. That’s probably not what he expected as a highly coveted recruit out of high school.

Still, it appears McCrae is making the most of Louisville’s fresh start under first-year head coach Scott Satterfield. On the first depth chart released this summer, McCrae’s name was listed as a second-string strongside linebacker right behind fellow fifth-year senior Boosie Whitlow, and ahead of names like Nick Okeke, PJ Blue, and break-out candidate Yasir Abdullah.

Things could change as Louisville football nears closer to the season, but for now, McCrae has an opportunity to finally get to the place he has wanted to be since high school. He has the talent and skillset to become a high-level defensive end, he just needed the opportunity.

With a fresh start under a new Louisville football coaching staff, McCrae could become a household name once again in 2019.