Jason Ray returns for his second season with the Bears after joining the MSU staff prior to the 2016 campaign.
In his first season as the Bears' wide receivers coach, Ray helped mentor a unit that placed a pair of standouts on All-MVFC squads with the selections of Malik Earl and Zac Hoover as honorable mention choices. MSU improved by an average of 87 passing yards per game, thanks largely to Earl and Hoover, who each ranked among the Valley's top 10 in receiving yards per game in league play.
In 2015, the Porter, Okla., native helped lead UNI to a 9-5 mark, a third-place finish in the MVFC and an NCAA Division I FCS Quarterfinal berth while coaching the Panther receivers.
Prior to joining the UNI program, Ray spent two seasons as an assistant coach at Oklahoma State mentoring the Cowboys receivers and return specialists. The Cowboys turned in one of the strongest offensive performances in school history in 2013, ranking 14th nationally in scoring and registering the No. 5 passing offense in program history to earn a berth in the 2014 Cotton Bowl Classic. Second-team All-Big 12 performer Josh Stewart — who set a Big 12 Conference record with a 95-yard punt return for a touchdown — ranked fourth nationally in punt return average (18.2), while Justin Gilbert led the conference in kickoff return yardage (26.6 yard per return).
Ray also spent four years on Wyoming head coach Dave Christensen’s staff, helping lead the Cowboys to a pair of bowl game appearances during his stay in Laramie. He coached the Cowboys’ running backs for three seasons, overseeing the development of All-Mountain West performer Alvester Alexander, who capped his Wyoming career with 2,127 yards and 27 touchdowns to rank among the top 10 rushers in school history in both categories.
As a student-athlete, Ray was a three-year letterwinner, second-team academic All-Big 12 selection and 2007 team captain as a wide receiver at Missouri, where he was a part of four different bowl-qualifying Tiger squads from 2003-07. Ray served a leadership role on Mizzou’s 2007 Big 12 North championship team that set a program record for wins (12) and garnered the school’s first No. 1 national ranking in 47 years.
Ray earned his undergraduate degree in business administration-marketing with a minor in English from Missouri in 2007. He served as a development associate for the Tiger Scholarship Fund, where he assisted with prospective donor solicitation, coordinating special events and projects and cultivating stewardship toward his alma mater’s primary athletics fundraising operation before beginning his coaching career.
