Former No. 1 RB Johnathan Gray's Advice to High School Football Recruits

DALLAS — Johnathan Gray graduated from Aledo High School as the nation's No. 1 running back and the No. 6 overall player in the 2012 class, per 247 Sports. He arrived at the University of Texas in May 2012 as an All-American running back in high school who rushed for nearly 11,000 yards and holds the all-time national record for career touchdowns with 205.

Now a senior for the Longhorns, Gray is a preseason candidate for the Doak Walker Award, which honors the nation's top running back. During Tuesday's Big 12 Media Day session, Gray delivered a first-person message to present and future recruits hoping to one day fulfill their dreams as a college football player.

You have to stay hungry, stay happy and stay humble. Never give up on your goals, and always stay true to yourself.

Back in high school, I broke a lot of records and won state championships. That was all great. I came to college and had expectations of winning a national championship, setting records and winning awards.

That's taken a back seat a little bit.

Coming out of high school, you come to the University of Texas, and you're expecting a 10-win season. For us to not have that, it's kind of frustrating.

Now for my senior year, I have to get better and have to work toward those goals to get a national championship and win that trophy.

Eric Gay/Associated Press

Recruits need to remember it's a grind. Coming in as a young guy, you don't know what to do or where to go, and you'll have some fall outs with coaches. From my experience, you just have to take it and roll with it.

Every year is a new year. Everybody is on the same playing field. You've got to keep pushing, keep going and you can't get down.

You can't get down on yourself or your teammates. You always have to keep pushing forward. Stay prayed up, stay true to yourself and stay humble.

Life happens. Injuries are going to happen. Guys are going to come and go. You've got to stay focused.

eric gay/Associated Press

For guys like Tristian Houston, Kirk Johnson and Chris Warren, those who are freshmen now, that's what I'm doing with them; I'm helping them understand the game and understand life.

When learning the game of football, understand that each and every day is not promised. You've got to be prepared to go to work.

Some of the guys I relied on when I was younger always said "work hard and be better than the next person." Always be aware of your surroundings, and always keep God first.

I stuck with that. My dad always told me the same thing.

Charlie Neibergall/Associated Press

Keep God first, and make sure you set yourself up for success. Whether you pick the University of Texas or anywhere else, just make sure you have a plan when you're done with college, and make sure you have a backup plan.

Never shy away from what you believe in. You always have to stay true to yourself and always keep pushing. Eventually, it'll happen for you.

Damon Sayles is a National Recruiting Analyst for Bleacher Report.